Should the Wallabies have been given a penalty or did the Lions score a fair try?

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

The Wallabies were less than one minute away from a famous victory against the British and Irish Lions, but a Hugo Keenan try broke Australian hearts and secured a Test series win for the tourists.
But the Wallabies were adamant the try should not have been awarded, and the hearts of every player, coach, and the 90,307 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground briefly stopped as the television match official (TMO) checked a replay for foul play.
As Lions fans rejoiced when the referee declared the try was fair, the Wallabies were left gutted and believing victory had been unjustly stolen from them.
This is how the second Test between the Wallabies and Lions ended, and this is why it was so controversial.
Needing a win to keep the Test series alive, the Wallabies led at the MCG from the fifth minute, all the way to the 80th minute.
At one point in the first half, the Wallabies held a lead of 18 points, before the Lions began their comeback.
Leading by two points with less than 60 seconds on the clock, the Lions were attacking the Wallabies' goal line.
That's when the ball went wide to fullback Hugo Keenan, who charged over the line for the match-winning try, despite the best efforts of Wallaby centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
But the Wallabies protested to the referee that there was foul play in the build-up, which the officials checked.
With the fate of the Test on the line, the officials needed to decide if a Wallabies player had been the victim of foul play.
The controversial moment came in the ruck prior to Keenan's try.
Lions player James Ryan ran with the ball and was tackled 5 metres from the Wallabies' goal line.
Australian player Carlo Tizzano is the first player at the scene and tries to get his hands on the ball. He is low to the ground, and gets his hands on the ball.
If Tizzano can steal the ball, or if Ryan illegally holds onto it on the ground, the Wallabies will win the game.
Lions player Jac Morgan sprints in to clear Tizzano out of the ruck and retain possession.
Morgan lowers his body, hits Tizzano with his shoulder while wrapping his arms, and clears the Australian away from the ball.
Tizzano reels out of the ruck, clutching the back of his head.
The Lions retained the ball, and it was then passed out wide to Keenan, who scored.
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson pleaded with the referee to have a look at the replay for foul play.
The Wallabies argued that Moran's shoulder, in the act of cleaning out, made contact with the back of Tizzano's head.
Wilson, and the Wallabies, argued there was foul play and they should be awarded a penalty, and the Lions' try should be disallowed.
These are the two crucial rules:
So, did the replays show Jac Morgan falling foul of either rule?
The replays showed Morgan driving backwards, wrapping his arms and not rolling, pulling or twisting.
Law 9.20 (d): Not Guilty.
But, his initial contact was around the upper back, and lower neck.
If the officials deemed Morgan had hit Tizzano around the shoulder blades, then that would be below the line of the shoulder.
After around 90 seconds of looking at replays, Italian referee Andrea Piardi decided there was no foul play.
Here is what he said into his microphone, which bellowed around the MCG, and through the televisions, computers and tablets around the world.
"Both of the players arrived at the same time.
"The player [Jac Morgan] is wrapping [his arms]. We don't see any foul play."
Piardi is correct that Morgan was wrapping his arms.
However, to say both players arrived at the same time would not be correct.
Tizzano had his hands on the ball before Morgan made the breakdown. If Piardi was arguing they both lowered themselves into the contest at the same time, that would be wrong.
Crucially, Piardi made no mention of where he thought Morgan had made contact on Tizzano.
If he believes the contact was on the upper back, then the clean-out is legal.
But if the officials believe the point of contact is on the neck, then players joining simultaneously would not excuse Morgan.
Opinions on the referee's decision were split across enemy lines.
Former England captain Martin Johnson thought the refs made the correct decision:
Australia's most capped captain Michael Hooper believes the Wallabies should have been given the penalty:
Former Wallaby Morgan Turinui was furious while commentating for Channel Nine:
Lions player Owen Farrell, who was on the field, believed his team scored a fair try:
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt was crestfallen and thought his men were hard done by: