An opportunity and an actual gain differ
World Rugby Law 7 requires clear, real tactical or territorial advantage; a mere opportunity is insufficient. The referee can return to the original sanction if the non-offending side is unlikely to gain an advantage.
Imagine a team recovering the ball after an opponent’s infringement but immediately being trapped behind its previous position. Compare a team receiving a clean attacking platform with useful space. The bare possession change is the same; what the team actually gains differs.
Follow the referee’s continuing signal
A few additional passes do not create a universal numerical threshold. Their tactical result matters to the judgment. On replay, keep the infringement point and the later attacking position in view instead of simply counting seconds or passes.
This explains why an unsuccessful attack can sometimes return to an earlier offence, while a later mistake after advantage has been gained remains part of ordinary play. The distinction concerns whether advantage had ended, not whether the team eventually scored. A viewer cannot reconstruct the entire judgment from the final dropped ball alone. The original examples offer two different gains to compare without claiming to decide a real match.
Questions answered
Does gaining possession automatically end advantage?
No. The gain must meet the law’s standard.
Must an advantage lead to a score to be real?
No. Tactical or territorial gain can be sufficient.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.