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Cape Town - All Blacks star Beauden Barrett has been caught out by a sharp-eyed South African Springboks supporter.
READ: Scoreboard says draw, stats paint a very different picture!
Pieter van der Spuy spotted the New Zealand fullback stealing metres behind Australian referee Nic Berry's back prior to attempting a shot at goal during last Saturday's Rugby Championship clash at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
Barrett was successful with the penalty in the match which finished 16-all.
According to the Stuff.co.nz website, All Blacks captain Kieran Read opted for a shot at posts when Berry awarded New Zealand a penalty near the Springboks' 22m line in the 48th minute of the match.
But, with Berry's back turned, Barrett rolled the ball roughly two to three metres closer to the posts.
"Watch closely what Beauden Barrett does with the ball as he prepares for the penalty kick," Van der Spuy states in the clip, which has been viewed more than 165 000 times on social media.
Barrett ended up slotting the penalty which gave the All Blacks a 10-6 lead at that stage of the Test.
Springbok supporters predictably reacted with anger, suggesting Barrett was a cheat, with very few finding fault with Berry for not paying closer attention - or the two assistant referees and TMO for that matter.
Is it not time perhaps for rugby to follow soccer's lead by having referees carry not only a whistle, but also a can of vanishingly spray to clearly mark the penalty spot?
Ironically, Barrett may have made the kick tougher for himself by moving it forward and creating a tighter angle. Distance was never going to be a problem from either spot on the field.
Barrett missed two other penalties in the match, with Crusaders star flyhalf Richie Mo'unga eventually taking over the goal-kicking duties and landing both his attempts.
#SSRugby : Watch closely what Beauden Barrett does with the ball as he prepares for the penalty kick pic.twitter.com/jfSqgr456D
— Pieter van der Spuy (@PvdS13) July 28, 2019
