Australia coach Joe Schmidt has taken aim at match officials after a controversial decision paved the way for the British & Irish Lions to seal the series at the MCG.
Fullback Hugo Keenan’s last-minute try secured a 29-26 win for the Lions in Melbourne, but the Wallabies were left fuming after Jac Morgan’s clear-out on Carlo Tizzano in the lead-up. Players and coaches were adamant the clean-out involved contact to the neck — a violation of rugby’s Law 9.20 — yet the try stood following a lengthy TMO review.
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An incensed Schmidt didn’t hold back post-match.
“Because they’re human, match officials make errors,” he said.
“We felt it was a decision that doesn’t really live up to the big player safety push that they’re (World Rugby) talking about.
You cannot hit someone above… the shoulders.
But that’s what we’ve seen and we’ve watched a number of replays from different angles so it is what it is and we just have to accept it.”
Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson echoed his coach’s frustration.
Biggest Talking Point: JAC MORGAN!
Referee Andrea Piardi’s process here was poor.
– Is there Foul Play? Yes
– Shoulder to head ✅
– High Degree of Danger ✅
Is there mitigation? Yes
• Low body height, attempt to make a legal clean out. So just a Yellow Card No Wrap pic.twitter.com/1qX2MxhPBn
— Scoop 🐻 ☕️ (@Rugby_Scoop) July 27, 2025
“Obviously I saw shoulder to the neck. Carlo was pretty sore about it,” Wilson said.
But Lions boss Andy Farrell had a very different take.
“I thought it was a brilliant clear-out,” Farrell insisted.
“Honestly, it depends which side of the fence you come from, I would have thought. I can understand people’s opinions, but I thought Jac was brilliant when he came on — and so were the rest of the bench.”
It wasn’t the only moment to raise eyebrows. Earlier, Lions hooker Dan Sheehan’s opener also came under scrutiny, with suggestions he dove over a tackler to dot down. The Wallabies have demanded answers for these ‘two clear mistakes’.
However, despite the controversy, RUCK understands World Rugby is standing by the match officials’ decisions — a stance supported by former top referee Wayne Barnes.
Writing in The Telegraph, Barnes backed the decision and praised the officials’ feel for the game.
“There was a deluge of noise at the MCG,” Barnes said.
“And there was also a sense of relief on my sofa.”
Dan Biggar asked on commentary:
“Where could he go?”
While Ronan O’Gara quipped:
“Very little.”
Barnes agreed.
“Rugby is a dynamic game with lots of moving parts and yes, player safety is at the heart of everything… but these things happen.”
“Every time there is head contact, it does not mean that there is foul play.”
He even referenced Tadhg Furlong’s controversial first Test cleanout — which was penalised — as a learning moment for the officiating team.
“Refs, like players, learn from their previous decisions too.”
As for the clearout on Tizzano?
“Some fans think the Aussie milked it. Some say he dived.”
“I’m not going to pretend to know what being cleared out by a 100kg man feels like.”
“But I thought it was a decision that showed these three officials have a wonderful feel for the game.”
EDITORS PICKS:
Four Changes Andy Farrell Must Make for Lions’ Third Test vs Australia
Now, all eyes turn to the third Test. Here are four changes the Lions must make to finish the job in style.
#1. JAMES LOWE
Despite a classy offload for Beirne’s try and some composed moments, Lowe was error-prone under the high ball and defensively vulnerable once again. A mixed bag leaning heavily toward underperformance.
BALLS 5/10: “One good flicked offload to Gibson-Park. Spilled a high ball, early in the second half. Composed take and footwork, on 57 minutes. Great step and offload for Beirne’s try. His best, and last, contribution of the game.”
Planet Rugby 4/10: “His try assist was the highlight of an otherwise poor performance from the winger who missed three of his seven tackle attempts, conceded a penalty and struggled in the air. He is a big moments player and produced that with a brutal fend and offload, but far from a complete performance.”
Telegraph 3/10: “Lovely offload to put Beirne over but was another disappointing display. A liability once again in defence and several handling errors.”
RUCK 4/10: “Lowe has looked off the tempo in both tests and today was another story of that. He never got going and was exposed hugely in defence. In attack he was nothing to fear for the Wallabies apart from his assist for Beirne.”
Replacement: Duhan van der Merwe
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