Michael Hooper's hands went forward, the ball went forward, Nick Phipps caught it three metres forward from where it was flung and still, after it was sent to the TMO, the ruling came back to award the try.
It was a killer for the Blues. Not for what it did on the scoreboard, but for confirming the enormity of the task they faced in trying to win in Sydney for the first time in 12 years.
There were plenty of other reminders of what they were facing that came from legitimate sources. Some of the Waratahs defending, particularly around the rucks and mauls, was outstanding.
They gang tackled the Blues ball carriers and drove them back. It was relentless. The Waratahs scrummaging was also impressive. They had the Blues in trouble there.
It was the length of each scrum that was unusual. There were some that went for more than 20 seconds and it became apparent that the effort being put into barely holding the scrum together was going to hit the Blues at some stage.
Somehow they had managed to scramble - quite brilliantly - throughout the first half.
They were hanging on for long periods and somehow it was just the one try that they conceded.
Their commitment was obvious. Whatever problems the Blues have, effort is not one of them. The passion for the jersey was there. They wanted to win - no question of that.
Wanting is not enough though. The basic skills weren't up to it. They weren't that far off, but ball retention wasn't good enough. The decision-making was again not good enough either.
Too many passes were forced under pressure and they were second - by some distance - in the physical exchanges.
That inability to compete with the Waratahs in the collision was where the game was lost. It was essentially the root cause of most of their problems.
They couldn't win turnovers as a result of not dominating the tackler. They could only escape from their own territory by hoofing under pressure or trying to go wide without actually committing any defenders.
It made Daniel Bowden's night a touch difficult but he showed enough in difficult circumstances to suggest he could be the solution at No 10.
He's a gutsy, experienced, tidy footballer and he battled to keep his side in the contest the best he could. His kicking was good and he was also able to bring Francis Saili into the game.
Saili has been one of the bigger mysteries of the last 18 months - an All Black in 2013 to barely holding an ITM Cup place in 2014. He was more direct and more involved last night and looked like he's over his slump.
It was his try that gave the Blues some hope midway through the second half but the Blues were never more than a long shot.
The pressure the Waratahs had built was eventually going to tell. They had dominating possession and territory and it was inevitable that Peter Betham, with eight minutes remaining, would put the game beyond doubt.
Waratahs 23 (N. Phipps, P. Betham tries; B. Foley 3 pens, 2 cons)
Blues 11 (F. Saili try; D. Bowden con, 2 pens )
