From the
ARU Game Management Guidelines 2022
Ball out and collapsed ruck
- The ball is only out of a ruck (or scrum) when it is totally exposed, or it is clear of bodies.
- Players cannot step through or over the middle of a collapsed ruck before the ball is cleared or the ball is completely clear of bodies. These players are unbound and in front of the last feet and are therefore offside.
To me, the ball wasn't completely clear of bodies. It was a collapsed ruck, so the Tahs have lost the right to contest the ball.
I've attached a still of the video below.
So even if you say the ball was out when he played it, he has definitely come from an offside position to do it.
Don't get me wrong, watching in real time, there's a lot going on for the ref to monitor here. Maybe the AR could pick it up, but the way bodies were flying around makes the blue offside line difficult to determine clearly.