Hang on a mo, isn't there a convention that "away from" means 1m or so? From previous threads here that's what I've been led to believe, IIRC.
If so, surely the ball isn't "out" of the TWOL (i.e. the TWOL isn't over) because it only ends when the ball has moved away from the tackle area, and clearly at least in A it hasn't, regardless of the (technically illegal but commonly accepted) hand on the ball (or not)?
14.11
The tackle ends when:
A ruck is formed.
A player on their feet from either team gains possession of the ball and moves away or passes or kicks the ball.
The ball leaves the tackle area.
The ball is unplayable. If there is doubt about which player did not conform to law, the referee orders a scrum. The throw is taken by the team moving forward prior to the stoppage or, if no team was moving forward, by the attacking team.