Morgan produced 'perfect' clearout
If Keenan's try had been chalked off, the series would have gone to a decider in Sydney next Saturday. Instead, the Lions have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead.Coaches Andy Farrell and Joe Schmidt afterwards took opposing views of the refereeing call.Australia boss Schmidt stated it brought player safety into question but Owens believes Morgan's action were legal."It was the perfect clearout," Owens told BBC Radio Wales.
Quoting the law
Law 9.20 states: "A player must not charge into a ruck or maul without binding onto another player."It also states that "making contact above the line of the shoulders with an opponent is a dangerous play and is prohibited"."I know some people in Australia are quoting the law and saying he is going in low," said Owens."But if you are quoting the law you have to recognise both players were low coming into the ruck."Welshman Owens retired from international duties in 2020 after officiating in 100 Test matches, including the 2015 World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia at Twickenham.The incident has divided opinion with Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh demanded World Rugby explain the controversial decision."There are a couple of things you need to judge here," said Owens."First of all, are Jac Morgan's actions legal? Is he coming in low and are the arms out ready to wrap and clear out? "If he wasn't doing that and leading with his shoulder then you have foul play and a penalty."His actions are perfect in the way you would expect a player to clean out."The incident was more dramatic as Tizzano fell backwards holding his head after Morgan's action."There is a chance the Australia player who has come into the ruck has not come through the gate but that's irrelevant in the outcome because if there was foul play it would trump that," said Owens."The Australia player gets in and he is very low. This happens throughout the game and you see many of these incidents."Jac goes in and tries to get in very low or underneath him to clear him out. So it's textbook clearing out for me."The only time this would be illegal is if the Australian player was in that position and Jac was a couple of seconds later arriving and he had time to readjust, then there would be conversations about foul play."Because it is relatively dynamic, as the referee has explained, both of them are pretty much there simultaneously."The Australian player gets there a split second before, but Jac is already coming in with a legal clearout, so there is no foul play."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
a minute ago
- The Guardian
Isak, Gyökeres and Ekitiké herald a new age of the center-forward
It's only been a decade since it seemed the center-forward was being refined out of existence. Spain had won Euro 2012 with Cesc Fàbregas as a false nine, and Germany, who largely took Spain as a model, were less than convinced they needed one at the 2014 World Cup. They fielded Thomas Müller as a false-ish nine until the quarter-final, when Jögi Löw finally went back to basics and turned to Miroslav Klose. That he was 36 only seemed to confirm that the old-fashioned No 9 was an old-fashioned phenomenon – a dying breed. Yet this summer, the main interest in the transfer market has been the carousel of strikers. Of course, strikers never entirely disappeared. The four leading scorers in the Premier League in 2014–15 were Sergio Agüero, Harry Kane, Diego Costa and Charlie Austin. Mauri Icardi and Luca Toni topped the charts in Italy, while Cristiano Ronaldo, his conversion to A No 9 complete, was top scorer in Spain (although that he was followed by Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, and Neymar suggested a greater variety of goalscorer there). Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion The feeling, though, was that the cleverest football – the most advanced football – involved a central forward who was there at least as much for his movement and ability to link play as for his finishing. The phenomenon of goalscoring wide players – such as Messi at Barcelona, Arjen Robben at Bayern or Eden Hazard at Chelsea, a mantle which has been taken up today by Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappé and Raphinha – meant goals came from a greater array of sources. But while the goalscoring wide forward remains, there has been a return to top-level acceptance for the central striker. Pep Guardiola, the coach who seemed most sceptical of traditional No 9s – never even really seeming entirely convinced by Agüero – perhaps began it when Manchester City signed Erling Haaland. The big Norwegian has caused City to make a significant adjustment to their style. He does not join in play in the way every other Guardiola player does. He does not drop into midfield or pull wide – a creative tension that brought a treble in his first season at the club, but which was perhaps a factor in City's disappointment last season. At the same time, the most common criticism of Arsenal was that they lacked a center-forward. They needed to play well to win, because they didn't have a player who could pounce on a half chance to steal a victory from a tight game, or at times even convert their good play into goals. Alexander Isak would have seemed a very natural fit for them, but a fee of £120m/$140m or more was never within range, and so they have ended up with Viktor Gyökeres. It's a calculated risk given he is 27 and has only really been prolific in the last four seasons – two in the Championship with Coventry and two in Portugal with Sporting – but so long as concerns that he takes too long to get his shot away in crowded situations prove unfounded, he would seem to answer a specific need, even if there are times when Kai Havertz is preferred in that central role. It's Isak, though, who stands at the center of the great striker shuffle. He is tall and quick, his movement intelligent, and he has proved over the past two seasons a consistent Premier League scorer. It's understandable why Newcastle are so desperate to keep him, but understandable too that he feels undervalued on £120,000 a week/£6.2m ($8.4m) a year. He has three years left on his contract, so beyond the fear that he could sulk, there is little reason for Newcastle to let him go. They can insist on a fee of £140m or more – certainly enough to buy a high-class replacement, possibly Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig. Which is what makes it odd that Isak made his availability public only after Liverpool had signed Hugo Ekitiké, who has a similar profile to Isak but, at 23, is far less developed. Chelsea might also have been interested in Isak had they not already bought two center-forwards in João Pedro and Liam Delap. Perhaps, by selling one or both of Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz, Liverpool could afford him. To sign a second central forward would be a remarkable step for a club where for several years one of the main roles of the center-forward has been to clear the way for Salah. That perhaps suggests change is coming – Liverpool beginning to prepare for life without Salah, who is, after all, 33. But Isak is not an old-school striker. Alan Shearer was perhaps the last of his line, at least at elite level in England. From Marco van Basten onwards, through Andriy Shevchenko and Thierry Henry, forwards have become much more complete figures, combining elements of the target-man, the channel-runner and the poacher. Isak and João Pedro have the full range of skills; Ekitiké and Šeško are developing them. Central forwards, with a wider range of attributes than their predecessors, are suddenly fashionable again as football moves into a new age of the striker. This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@ and he'll answer the best in a future edition.
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
Hampton's tribute to grandpa who died before Euros
England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has paid tribute to her grandfather who died two days before the team's triumphant Euro 2025 24-year-old was a rock for the Lionesses throughout the tournament and proved her worth once again in Sunday's final against world champions made a string of crucial interventions in the game, Hampton saved two penalties in the shootout to help her side retain the title they won in was the first time an England team had won a major trophy on foreign soil and further cemented their place as one of the top nations in world the aftermath of a historic night, Hampton posted a heartfelt message alongside an image of a goalkeeper's shirt with the word 'grandpa' printed on the inside of the collar. "Two days before the biggest tournament of my life, you left," she wrote on Instagram."You taught me so much, not just about football, but about life. About staying grounded, working hard, being resilient and doing things the right way."It breaks my heart that you didn't get to see me walk out for our country at my first major tournament... something you dreamed of for me, something we talked about so many times. But I know, deep down, you were still there. I felt you with me. In the tunnel. On the pitch. In the tough moments. I heard you in my head when I needed strength."I hope I made you proud, Grandpa. I carried you through every minute. And I always will. I did it. WE DID IT." Hampton's route to the top has been littered with Chelsea goalkeeper was born with a serious eye condition and told by doctors she should not play has undergone multiple operations to correct her vision but it is still not perfect and she continues to have depth perception defying the odds to get into the professional game, her international career hit a rocky patch after England won Euro 2022 on home served as back-up to Mary Earps, but was dropped in the aftermath with reports suggesting it was due to her Sarina Wiegman brought her back into the fold in March 2023, having said Hampton had "sorted out personal issues".But Earps remained the No1 and Hampton was once again left without any game time after being named in the squad for the 2024 World Cup. A move to Chelsea in 2023 helped get her career back on track and she won the domestic treble with her club last season to show she can deliver in big moments. Head here to get involved
South Wales Guardian
25 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Rude wash-bag message from boss helped inspire England to Euro glory
The Lionesses defended the title they first won three years ago at Wembley with a 3-1 penalty shootout victory over world champions Spain in Basel after extra time ended in a 1-1 draw. It was revenge for their 1-0 loss to the same side in the 2023 World Cup final, but required a campaign of crazy comebacks and must-win victories in every match following their opening loss to France. 'Sarina had a certain little way of motivating us,' said Mead, after the Lionesses became the first English football team to secure a major trophy on foreign soil. 'It was great, it was funny, it was everything. She did it again tonight. 'She had a little toiletry bag that said b****** get s*** done, and b****** got s*** done today. That is it, drop the mic.' Mead's Arsenal team-mate Mariona Caldentey opened the scoring for Spain in the 25th minute, ensuring England would require a third consecutive comeback to make it back-to-back European titles and seal a third straight for Wiegman, who lifted the same trophy with the Netherlands in 2017. Alessia Russo nodded home Chloe Kelly's cross after the break to ultimately force a shootout, then sealed by substitute Kelly's emphatic top-corner spot kick. Kelly's winner was the best birthday present imaginable for major tournament debutant Aggie Beever-Jones, who turned 22 on Sunday and was serenaded by supporters who sang 'Happy Birthday' during the final. 'It's such an incredible tournament, back-to-back champions,' she said. 'The girls have done a brilliant job. I couldn't have had a better birthday than this. What a present! This will be the best day of my life. I can't quite believe it.' Mead added: 'It's what dreams are made of, Ags!'
