Australia have reacted bitterly to their series-deciding loss to the British & Irish Lions, claiming a disputed late refereeing call robbed them of victory.
The Wallabies’ head coach, Joe Schmidt, strongly criticised the decision not to penalise the Lions’ replacement Jac Morgan for a ruck clear-out and says it has undermined World Rugby’s campaign for better player welfare.
Schmidt insists Morgan should have been sanctioned after taking out Carlo Tizzano shortly before Hugo Keenan scored the last-gasp winning try that gave the Lions an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
“You only have to look at law 9.20,” said Schmidt. “It’s what they are there to enforce. A player who dives off his feet and is clearly beaten to the position over the ball, makes neck contact … it was a tough one to take.
“Just watch the footage. Players make errors. Match officials make errors. Our perspective is that we felt it was a decision that doesn’t really live up to the big player-safety push they [World Rugby] are talking about.
“You cannot hit someone above the levels of the shoulders and there’s no bind with the left arm, his hand is on the ground. That’s what we have seen. We have watched a number of replays from different angles so it is what it is. We just have to accept it.”
Carlo Tizzano receives treatment after a late tackle from Jac Morgan that set up the Lions’ winning try. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images
The former Australia centre-turned-pundit Morgan Turinui also sharply criticised the decision suggesting it was “100% completely wrong” not to penalise Morgan. “His two assistant referees got it wrong. Joël Jutge, the head of the referees, is out here on a junket. He needs to haul those referees in and ask for a please explain.
“It’s a point of law. It’s in black and white, it’s not about bias. He [referee Andrea Piardi] did have a good game but the refereeing group, when it counted, got the match-defining decision completely wrong.”
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A downcast Australia captain, Harry Wilson, attempting to answer media questions as the Lions loudly sang and celebrated down the corridor, was also unhappy with the game’s final play. “I saw a shoulder to the neck … Carlo was pretty sore afterwards and he was straight down. I went to the referee about it. I was told that since he wrapped his arms it’s all good to be hit in the neck. It’s so painful.”
Andy Farrell, however, felt Morgan had done little wrong. “I thought it was a brilliant clear-out,” said the Lions head coach. “It depends which side of the fence you come from. I thought it was a good clear-out live. I couldn’t understand what they were going back for. They seem to go back for absolutely everything these days, don’t they? I’m so pleased that the referee held his nerve. It was the right decision, in my opinion.”
To win the series is what dreams are made of and no one can deny that for us now
Andy Farrell
The fly-half Finn Russell also felt Tizzano had made the most of the challenge. “They were trying to get anything at that point. I think that was a brilliant clear-out, pretty much a textbook clear-out. When he’s gone in over the ball Jac has hit him hard, and that’s how it is. He obviously holds his head and tried to get a penalty from it, but nah I think it was a brilliant clear-out.”
Farrell, meanwhile, hailed his side’s composure after they managed to overcome a 19-point deficit, the biggest in Lions Test history. “These lads have dreamed of being a British & Irish Lion all their lives. To get to the point when we come to the MCG with 90-odd thousand people with a dramatic finish like that to win the series is what dreams are made of and no one can deny that for us now.
“It is a special moment for everyone, we are absolutely delighted that we showed the courage and what it takes to be a Lion. If you’re a child watching that back home, do you want to be a British and Irish lion? 100%. To win it like that is what top-level sport is all about. It’s cruel in so many ways for Australia but we stayed in the fight and we got what we deserved.”
