Wallabies face humiliation after controversial Lions Test loss

The Australian

6 days ago

Still livid at the contentious last-minute ruling that cost them victory in the second Test against the British & Irish Lions, the Wallabies are facing the threat of total humiliation if they don't quickly move on from the incident that has divided the rugby world.
While head coach Joe Schmidt was fuming that the Lions' match-winning try by Hugo Keenan wasn't ruled out because of Jac Morgan's clean out of Carlo Tizzano in the lead up, the jury is split on whether the Wallabies were robbed or their complaints are just sour grapes.
While a lot of Australians think Morgan should have been penalised for making contact with Tizzano's neck, the British media – not surprisingly – have taken a very different view, and accused the Wallabies' backrower of diving.
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'Tizzano clearly milked the incident, collapsing with a melodrama that could easily have persuaded some officials to chalk off Keenan's try,' British journalist Oliver Brown wrote in the UK's Telegraph.
'The reality was that Morgan's clear-out technique was blameless: he wrapped his arms legally and could not have gone any lower. By contrast, Tizzano's reaction – staggering back, clutching his head as if in mortal agony – was anything but.'
Stephen Jones, a long-time critic of southern hemisphere rugby, also took aim at Tizzano, saying the referees should be applauded for seeing his actions as play-acting.
'Tizzano, unforgivably, reached back and dived out of the ruck clutching his head,' Jones wrote. 'And the officials quite correctly concluded that there was no offence.'
The debate is certain to rumble on in the lead up to next weekend's final Test in Sydney. World Rugby's top brass are in town to promote the 2027 World Cup and can expect a grilling on the matter. But nothing they say will change the result.
Carlo Tizzano has been accused of 'milking the incident' by UK press.. (Photo by)
The history books already show the Lions won the match 29-26 to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series and with it the chance of a rare 3-0 cleansweep, which would be an unmitigated disaster for Australian rugby.
The last time the Wallabies lost 3-0 to the Lions was way back in 1904 so Schmidt is desperate for his players to come away from the series with something to show for their steady improvement.
'I think they are progressing,' Schmidt said. 'It's never linear, it always tends to ebb and flow.
'Our challenge is to try to be as consistent as we can, even within the game.'
When Schmidt and his players sit down in the cold light of day to review Saturday's heartbreaking loss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, sulking about the decision that went against them will do more harm than good.
They would be better off acknowledging the painful truth that this was an epic match that both teams can be proud of but the Australians let it slip through their hands after scoring three tries inside the first half-hour to open up a commanding 18-point lead.
While the Wallabies were fist pumping and backslapping each other, there was still 50 minutes left on the clock, and the Lions weren't done with yet. They held their composure to dominate the rest of the contest, outscoring the Wallabies 24-3.
With the Wallabies desperately trying to hold on, the Lions just kept attacking and finished with five tries to Australia's three, including two critical scores just before halftime that cut the margin to six points at the interval and swung the momentum their way.
Even through the red mist of the gut wrenching finish, Schmidt did at least concede his team had squandered a golden opportunity.
'When you build a lead of 23-5 and then that slips, that's hugely disappointing, particularly when it happens in the last play of the game,' he said.
'We are trying to build consistency. We're trying to play a brand of rugby that entertains people. And at the same time, a brand of rugby that we enjoy playing.
'I'm really proud of the effort the players put in and I'm really disappointed for them.
'That probably puts in context the comments that have been made in terms of our disappointment at the end of the game.'
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt conceded the Wallabies put themslelves in a bad position to begin with. Picture:While the Wallabies can't win the series, Schmidt said there was still plenty to play for in Sydney apart from avoiding the embarrassment of a whitewash.
With Australia hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2027, the focus over the next two years will be on building a team that can compete for the game's ultimate prize.
There are enough positive signs to suggest that the building blocks are there, but nothing lifts the spirits more than winning so that has to be the first priority.
'We had a number of guys who are just growing into the game really and so to stand up and deliver what they did against a collection of some of the world's best players, I was immensely proud of the effort they'd made,' Schmidt said.
'They were broken at the end of it and I think one of the things that you've got to do is you've got to keep resolve and you've got to keep going forward.
'We can't wallow in self-pity because we didn't get the result. We've got to keep trying to build the way we play, the behaviours we demonstrate, and the understanding we're trying to build of the game and how we can best play it.
'You can't get more motivated than what the players demonstrated.'
Lions chasing 121-year first
Not satisfied with breaking the Wallabies' hearts by clinching their three-game series with a match to spare, the British & Irish Lions are now preparing to go in for the kill in game three.
And if the Lions succeed in devouring the Wallabies, the Australians can point the finger of blame at rugby league, because it was the Kangaroos that instilled the ruthless instinct in the Lions' master coach Andy Farrell.
Even before they arrived in Australia, the Lions were bragging about wanting to complete the first 3-0 clean sweep against the Wallabies in 121 years and they're right on track after they stole a 29-26 victory with a controversial last-minute try at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
As the celebrations kicked off in the bowels of the MCG, the Lions' captain Maro Itoje and head coach Andy Farrell were quick to warn the Wallabies they would get no mercy in next weekend's final Test in Sydney.
Coach Andy Farrell and captain Maro Itoje address the press after the Lions' series-sealing win. Picture: AP Photo/Rick Rycroft
'The first time we met was in London or Dublin, when we met Big Faz (Farrell), he made the call, he wants us to go out here and win, he wants us to win everything,' Itoje said.
'Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely delighted with the result, but we want to go again next week.'
Farrell was also bullish about his team's intentions for Sydney but did at least credit to the Wallabies for how well they played in Melbourne after losing the series opener in Brisbane.
Written off as no-hopers, the Wallabies led 23-5 in the first half and held the lead for 79 minutes before the Lions snatched the win in the last play of the game.
'Fair play to them, they turned up,' Farrell said.
'They said they were going to turn up physically, but it wasn't just that. They played a great brand of rugby, whether it be their kicking game, 50-22s, et cetera, moving the ball around etc. They played a great brand of rugby.'
While the Wallabies were left to rue what could have been, the Lions went straight into full party mode.
Soaking up the atmosphere of playing in front of 90,000 fans they did a lap of the MCG to pose for photos with family and fans before heading to the sheds and bursting into song.
At the same time Itoje and Farrell were answering questions at their post game press conference, the Lions' squad could be head belting out Status Quo's 'Rockin All Over The World.'
Coach Andy Farrell celebrates with Bundee Aki (L) and Sione Tuipulotu after their series win. Picture:When it came time for the Wallabies coach and captain to front the media, they had to face their inquisition while the Lions' were singing Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline.'
'This is a dream for everyone in that dressing room,' Farrell said.
'These lads have dreamt of being a British & Irish Lion all their lives,' said Farrell.
'And to get to the point where we come to the MCG, 90,000 people, with a dramatic finish like that, to win the series is what dreams are made of.
'If you're a child watching that back home do you want to be a British & Irish lion? 100%. That's the dream, that's the fairytale that these lads have wished for. So we're over the moon.'
For Farrell, beating the Australians in a series ticked off one of the few items missing from his bucket list.
Shane Webcke is tackled by Andy Farrell back in his rugby league days.
A superstar rugby league player in his day before he turned to coaching rugby union, Farrell played for Great Britain against the Kangaroos in three Ashes' series, in 1994, 2001 and 2003, captaining his country in the last two.
But he lost all three series', all in painful circumstances.
In 1994 and again 2001, Britain won the Test but lost the next two to concede the series. Then in 2003, the unforgiving Kangaroos hammered the Brits 3-0.
Now he has his revenge.
The significance wasn't lost on Itoje, who became the first Lions' captain in 12 years to win a series anywhere in the world.
'These are one the moments in your life that you'll cherish. This will live long in the memory,' he said.
'So often in sport, you have to move on to the next thing, focus on what's next, focus on the next challenge. Every now and again, I think it's important to savour the moment.
'This has always been the goal for the results to be this way, this point in the tour. And we're just delighted, this is what dreams are made of.'