League: Were Tonga robbed of a match-winning try?

Tonga's Andrew Fifita questions the referee during their Rugby League World Cup semi-final loss to England. Photo / NZ Herald Jason Oxenham.

Debate continues to rage as to whether Tongan forward Andrew Fifita was robbed of a match-winning try in the last seconds of yesterday's thrilling 20-18 World Cup semi-final loss to England.

Opinion is divided over whether Fifita lost the ball or had it stripped by England defender Elliott Whitehead, with referee Matt Cecchin ruling the ball was lost forward through a loose carry before blowing fulltime.

Cecchin was adamant and stuck to his guns despite howls of protests and pleas from the Tongan players for him to check the decision with the video referee.

"I just can't believe we don't have a look at that - the game's on the line, it's the last play of the game," said Tonga coach Kristian Woolf.

"You look at other tries 10, 12 times. We don't have a look at that? I really don't understand that."

An emotional Fifita was disappointed with the decision but remained philosophical, saying: "To be honest, it's a game of footy, it was very hurtful at the end, but it's done now.

"I have to move on now. I've been on the other end of that opportunity in a grand final and got it on the day. This one hurts, but we've had our opportunities and we had to capitalise."

The incident was reminiscent of a crucial play in the first-half of New Zealand's 2008 World Cup final win over Australia that saw Benji Marshall stripped of the ball by Kangaroos forward Anthony Laffranchi.

The Australian's believed Marshall had lost the ball forward but Kiwis forward David Fa'alogo played on and regathered the ball to run 30 metres before sending Jerome Ropati in to score.

Referee Ashley Klein went upstairs to the video match official Steve Ganson who confirmed the loose ball came off Laffranchi's - not Marshall's – hands and the try was awarded.

Cecchin's call at Mt Smart Stadium may well have been correct but Tonga were not given the same luxury as New Zealand.

England coach Wayne Bennett – who was in the Kiwis coaches box in 2008 as an assistant to head coach Stephen Kearney - saw no problems with Cecchin's decision.

"If that's a penalty then it was also a penalty when we had Jermaine McGillvary stripped," Bennett said.

"But it wasn't. They just rule play-on. They class it as a loose carry."