Wallabies coach levels claim at officials as fans unload over contentious Lions win
But it came in highly controversial fashion, with the Wallabies coach and a number of former players insisting the try should have been chalked off and Australia given a penalty. Wallabies flanker Carlo Tizzano appeared to have been illegally cleaned out in the build-up, with former Wallabies star Morgan Turinui pointing out on Nine's broadcast that the Lions player made dangerous contact with the Aussie's neck.
'The end is a penalty to the Wallabies and the referees were too weak to give it. You cannot hit a guy in the back of the neck to save the ball," he said on Nine's broadcast. "The referees have got it wrong, it has cost the Wallabies. It is a terrible decision that decides this match."
The Television Match Official checked Morgan's clean-out and agreed with Italian referee Andrea Piardi's initial call to award the try. But Australia's coach Schmidt suggested it flew in the face of world rugby's guidelines on player safety, and specifically, directives around high contact.
"Players make errors, match officials make errors. Our perspective is we felt it was a decision that doesn't really live up to the big player safety push that they're talking about," the Wallabies coach said. "You cannot hit someone above the level of their shoulders and there's no bind with the left arm, the hand's on the ground.
"That's what we've seen, we've watched a number of replays from different angles. It is what it is, we just have to accept it." Schmidt said he was referring to Law 9.20 in rugby that states: "A player must not charge into a ruck or maul without binding onto another player." It also goes on to say that "making contact above the line of the shoulders with an opponent is a dangerous play and is prohibited".
Hugo Keenan scores the match-winner for The @lionsofficial 👏↳ The British & Irish Lions Tour. Wallabies v The Lions. Live & On-Demand. 4K.#StanSportAU #Lions2025 #LionsTour2025 pic.twitter.com/C2hTx9t77Q
— Stan Sport Rugby (@StanSportRugby) July 26, 2025
Rugby world divided as Wallabies' penalty claims rejected
Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper was also of the opinion that it should have been a penalty to Australia for an illegal clearout. "I can see what the referee's saying but there's a penalty there, whether it's on head, on neck or whether he's going straight off his feet to ground," Hooper said on Nine. "I would say if that was minute one it's a penalty and it was deserved to be awarded and the try overturned."
RELATED:
Wallabies teammate floats major change as fans make Suaalii complaint
Roosters fans get definitive answer as Joey Manu signs next contract
But ex-England and Lions captain Martin Johnson disagreed and said the officials were correct in awarding the try. "I didn't think there was enough there for a penalty that would change the game," he said on Nine. "You have to be very, very sure to change the game on a ref's decision. I thought it wasn't a penalty."
Lions head coach Andy Farrell also insisted the 'right decision' was made. "It was a brilliant clearout. I couldn't understand what they were going back for," Farrell said. "They seem to go back for absolutely everything these days, don't they? I'm so pleased that the referee held his nerve."
The Wallabies looked destined set to set up a series-deciding game 3 in Sydney next weekend when they raced out to a 23-5 lead after 30 minutes, courtesy of tries to prop James Slipper, halfback Jake Gordon and fullback Tom Wright. That was despite losing winger Harry Potter to a hamstring injury in the opening 20 minutes.
But the tide soon turned in the Lions' favour and two quick tries before halftime cut Australia's lead down to six at the break. An early penalty goal in the second half helped extend the Wallabies', before the tourists. hit back with a 59th-minute try to prop Tadgh Beirne.
It set up a thrilling finale and an arm-wrestle ensued for the remainder of the second half with just two points separating the teams. The Wallabies looked to have done enough but were ultimately left heartbroken after the controversial late match-winner. It means the Wallabies are the first team since the 1966 Lions tour to lose the series in two games.
HIGHWAY ROBBERYThe @wallabies robbed by 'weak'referees, says @MorganTurinui 'The end is a penalty to the Wallabies and the referees were too weak to give it. You cannot hit a guy in the back of the neck to save the ball.' pic.twitter.com/KwHZK1ze6y
— Darren Walton (@DarrenWalton369) July 26, 2025
Wtf was that last call seriously professional foul any day of the week and doesn't get a penalty at all and still keeps the try wtf
— Steven John Flynn (@JohnFlyn1) July 26, 2025
A highshot on Carlo Tizzano, should have been a wallabies penalty
— Timmy Turnantino (@nasser_liam) July 26, 2025
Was a penalty. Should have been disallowed. Wallabies robbed
— Char Lee (@redsfan1978) July 26, 2025
The @wallabies continually find themselves getting screwed over by crap refereeing. Andrea Piardi's failure to give a penalty against Morgan was an utter disgrace.
— Nick Walker (@namwalker) July 26, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Adam Zampa and Aussies make cricket history in eight-game sweep of West Indies
Adam Zampa has made Aussie cricket history after becoming the first bowler to reach 100 T20 games for the nation as Australia completed the 8-0 clean sweep of the West Indies. Australia chased down the West Indies' modest total of 170 in the fifth and final T20 clash with Tim David and Cameron Green once again starring for their side. While the Aussie batters found runs hard to come by in the Test series, which the visitors won 3-0, there were no issues against the white ball. While Australia's top order struggled in game five, big-hitter Tim David entered the crease and blasted 30 runs off 12 balls to give the Aussies a huge boost. Mitch Owen (37 off 16) once again showed why he could be a permanent fixture in the side (37 off 16), before Green continued his excellent white-ball form having hit 32 off 17 balls. And while the batters managed to get the total with three over to spare, the bowlers were the stars. Ben Dwarshius and Nathan Ellis ripped through the West Indies batting line-up combining for five wickets. And Zampa managed to mark his record-breaking milestone with a wicket. Zampa became the fourth Australian to reach 100 games in the T20 arena, but is the first Aussie bowler to do so. He joins greats such as Glenn Maxwell, David Warner and Aaron Finch to record 100 international games. The Australian bowler has been one of the best white-ball spinners in recent years and deserves the milestone. Zampa will have another chance to add to this tally when Australia host South Africa for three T20s and then three ODIs before the Ashes series gets underway. Fans were thrilled to see Zampa reach the feat with the players celebrating his wicket during the clash. Great achievement from Adam Zampa to reach 100 internationals in both white ball formats. Has pretty much held a monopoly over the No. 1 spinner role for the best part of a decade (save brief windows for Lyon and Agar) and played a huge role in two World Cup wins. — Daniel Cherny (@DanielCherny) July 28, 2025 In white-ball internationals:Adam Zampa - 311 wickets at 25.61Shane Warne - 293 wickets at 25.73#WIvAUS — Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) July 28, 2025 Mitch Marsh praises side ahead of South Africa series Captain Mitch Marsh was thrilled with his team's performances across the five games with fresh faces, such as Owen, standing in and showing he deserves a position going forward. 'I didn't expect 5-0 at the start of the series,' Marsh added after Australia won all eight of thier games in the West Indies across all formats. 'But we played some great cricket. It was something we spoke about after the fourth game. We knew no Australian team had completed a clean sweep. We've had guys come in and played different roles for us. We spoke pre-tour about having flexibility and fluidity as a group. The way T20 is going teams just keep going now and it's exciting and hopefully we can continue our power hitting.' Green and Owen were devastating in game five having taken the game away from the West Indies bowlers. The duo combined for nine fours and seven sixes. Owen even smashed one out of the ground. Green was player-of-the-series, but admitted he was still learning his white-ball game. 'I'm still trying to work T20 batting out. I had some great partnerships during the series,' Green added.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
World Rugby hits back at Joe Schmidt over criticism of controversial decision in second Lions Test
World Rugby have leapt to the defence of referee Andrea Piardi and his officiating team and said that some of Australia head coach Joe Schmidt's criticism in the wake of the second Test was 'disappointing'. Wallabies boss Schmidt accused the officials of not fully considering player welfare when deciding not to penalise Jac Morgan for a clearout on Carlo Tizzano in the move that led to Hugo Keenan's series-securing score at the MCG. The incident has provoked significant debate online subsequently with the rugby world split on a moment that again illustrated the shades of grey within the game's lawbook, particularly around the ruck area. World Rugby have confirmed that Piardi and the officials have been reviewing the game both amongst themselves and in combination with coaches from both teams, as is standard after any international clash. They will not, however, be releasing the outcome of any of those discussions publicly as they bid to protect their referees and avoid a repeat of the abuse suffered by Nic Berry after the first Test in South Africa. Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus was given a ban and apologised to Berry after a video was leaked in which he criticised the decision-making of the referee, which the Australian official said had threatened his reputation. Wayne Barnes, meanwhile, faced death threats after taking charge of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand, which the Springboks won 12-11. Schmidt will not face a sanction for his comments but Alan Gilpin, the chief executive of World Rugby, felt they were misplaced and that the game must continue to support officials. 'I think it is disappointing when the reaction is one of, 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously', because we have worked really hard on that narrative,' Gilpin said. 'Everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. You can see that from what we are doing with the instrumented mouthguards, all the research, the science, the investigations. 'You'll all recall, three years ago in the last Lions series in South Africa, when the match official in the first test was very heavily criticised, the mental health challenges. [Former referee] Wayne Barnes has talked about it – we've got match officials who, when they're criticised publicly, having their families targeted outside the school gates, that's not good, that's not fair, and that's not right, so we've got to support these guys. 'We won't talk publicly about that decision. The decision's happened, the game's finished, we'll move on, we'll share, and we do share, with Joe and the coaching team why the match official's made that decision. Joe's got a view about what was wrong with that decision making, and there'll be a debate between them about that, so that Joe and his players can go into the next Test, understanding how that game's going to be officiated.' Gilpin has talked to Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh, who had also questioned the decision, with the pair both present in Sydney at the launch of ticketing packages for the 2027 Rugby World Cup which will be held Down Under. The Morgan and Tizzano incident has led to discussions about how the sport may be simplified, with the high intensity, complex contacts around the ruck area an area of concern. 'We are reviewing the way the game is officiated and played all the time,' Gilpin explained. 'You know, we do an annual shape of the game conference that includes players, coaches, high-performance experts, match officials, fan input, broadcaster input, so all of that is a concern, but if we oversimplify rugby, it wouldn't be rugby, right? 'The breakdown is one of the toughest areas. We know that. We'll continue to work really hard with the match officials group to get consistency in the way that those key areas are officiated, and that provides, hopefully, the clarity to players and coaches. But like in any high-level sport, coaches are always looking for the edge with their teams, and we respect that.' Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli, who was an assistant to Piardi in Melbourne, will be in charge of the third Test in Sydney this weekend.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
World Rugby rebuffs Joe Schmidt's safety claim over Lions' match-winning try
World Rugby rejects Joe Schmidt's claim that the decision not to punish Jac Morgan's clearout in Australia's defeat by the British and Irish Lions on Saturday contravenes the game's player safety principles. Hugo Keenan touched down with 51 seconds left at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but the match-winning try was only given after the TMO had reviewed Morgan's contact with Carlo Tizzano in the preceding ruck, which was ultimately deemed legal by referee Andrea Piardi. Furious Schmidt, who had seen his Wallabies edged 29-26 to concede the series with one Test to play, insisted it was the wrong call, adding that 'it doesn't really live up to the big player safety push that they (World Rugby) are talking about'. Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh backed Schmidt's view that it was a dangerous clearout and the try should have been disallowed. World Rugby has been conducting a review into the incident in conjunction with Australia, the Lions and the match officials, which will be completed in time for Saturday's final Test between the rivals in Sydney. Chief executive Alan Gilpin, speaking at an event revealing ticketing details for the 2027 World Cup, has hit back at Schmidt. 'It's disappointing when the reaction is one of 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously' because we have worked really hard on that narrative,' said Gilpjn, who revealed Schmidt will not face disciplinary action for his comments. 'Everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. 'You can see that from what we are doing with the instrumented mouthguards, all the research, the science, the investigations. 'The way the laws of the game have evolved in the last few years is all about 'how do we have this great physical contest, but make it as safe as possible?'. That part is challenging, in terms of the player welfare statements.' Gilpin insists Piardi and his assistants Ben O'Keeffe and Nika Amashukeli are being supported amid the backlash against the officials in some quarters. And the World Rugby boss invoked Rassie Erasmus' public criticism of Nic Berry during the Lions' tour to South Africa in 2021 and the experiences of retired referee Wayne Barnes, who has spoken of the abuse his family received, to highlight the importance of protecting officials. 'It's just making them realise they're supported and that we are checking in on them. They're a great unit. They've been together on this tour as a team,' Gilpin said. 'You'll recall that in the last Lions series in South Africa, when the match official in the first Test was very heavily criticised…the mental health challenges… 'Wayne Barnes has talked about it. We've got match officials who, when they're criticised publicly, see their families targeted outside the school gates. 'That's not good, that's not fair and that's not right, so we've got to support these guys.' Australia 2027 has released details of its ticketing plan for the next World Cup, with fans able to register to access the presale from Tuesday.
