{"id":787424,"date":"2026-09-30T12:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T12:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/787424\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T12:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T12:38:11","slug":"michael-hooper-says-andrea-piardi-shouldnt-be-allowed-to-referee-the-wallabies-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/787424\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Hooper says Andrea Piardi ‘shouldn’t be allowed to referee the Wallabies again’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Wallabies<\/a> captain Michael Hooper has called on World Rugby to prevent Italian referee Andrea Piardi from officiating Australia again.<\/p>\n

Hooper argued that there is now \u201ca lot of scar tissue\u201d between the official and the Wallabies.<\/p>\n

Join RUCK\u2019s Instagram broadcast channel<\/a> and get the latest rugby news<\/a> straight to your phone.Speaking on Stan Sport\u2019s Between Two Posts, <\/a>Hooper said he was not making a judgement on Piardi\u2019s ability as a referee.<\/p>\n

He believed World Rugby should consider the history that has developed between the official and Australia when making future appointments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think Piardi should be allowed to referee Australia again,\u201d Hooper said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason I say that is not because of what I think about his reffing or him as referee, because I haven’t watched enough of his games as a referee in my time, but it should be a World Rugby thing to look after their referees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hooper\u2019s comments came after Piardi took charge of one of the most chaotic finishes to a Test match in recent memory, as Australia held on for a 42-38 victory over South Africa <\/a>in Perth.<\/p>\n

The Wallabies appeared to be cruising over the World Champions when they opened up a 42-17 lead, but the Springboks mounted a remarkable late comeback after Australia received four yellow cards.<\/p>\n

Harry Wilson, Ryan Lonergan, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Hunter Paisami were all sent to the sin bin as South Africa scored 21 unanswered points.<\/p>\n

Piardi also awarded South Africa a penalty try following Lonergan\u2019s intervention from an offside position.<\/p>\n

Paisami\u2019s yellow card came after a high tackle on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the build-up to what Australia initially thought was a match-sealing Tom Wright try.<\/p>\n

That score was subsequently ruled out.<\/p>\n

The dramatic finish was made even more difficult by technical problems, with a failure in the match officials’ communication system. Piardi was forced to use the fourth official\u2019s mobile phone to communicate with the TMO.<\/p>\n

But Hooper\u2019s argument extends beyond what happened in Perth. The former Australia captain pointed specifically to Piardi\u2019s involvement in the 2025 British & Irish Lions series, as well as other Tests involving Australia and their rivals.<\/p>\n

Piardi refereed the second Lions Test against Australia at the MCG, where the tourists clinched the series with a dramatic 29-26 victory.<\/p>\n

With Australia leading 26-24 and less than a minute remaining, Lions replacement Jac Morgan cleared out Wallabies flanker Carlo Tizzano at a ruck.<\/p>\n

Tizzano appeared to receive contact around the neck, and Australia captain Harry Wilson immediately appealed to Piardi for an intervention.<\/p>\n

Following a review with TMO Eric Gauzins, Piardi ruled that Morgan and Tizzano had arrived at the ruck at roughly the same time and that there had been no foul play.<\/p>\n

The decision allowed Hugo Keenan’s subsequent match winning try to stand, giving the Lions the win and an unassailable 2-0 series lead.<\/p>\n

Then-Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt publicly questioned the decision, while Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh subsequently sought an explanation from World Rugby over the call.<\/p>\n

World Rugby defended its officials, saying Piardi and his team had reviewed the match and discussed their decisions with the coaching staffs. However, they would not publicly release those discussions.<\/p>\n

It is that history which Hooper believes World Rugby should take into account.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think World Rugby need to think about, OK, well, there’s been some history now with this referee and this nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo last year in the Lions… some other Test matches in the lead-up, the All Blacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Host Sean Maloney then referenced another controversial Piardi decision involving Ireland in Dublin.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd unfortunately, you know, you do carry scars from previous games and previous fixtures as players going into next match-ups,\u201d Hooper continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think the referees probably do too. They’re human and it becomes hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hooper stressed that he was not arguing Piardi was incapable of refereeing<\/a> at the highest level.<\/p>\n

Instead, he believes World Rugby has a responsibility to avoid placing referees in situations where previous controversies could create additional pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I think in a duty of care sense, he shouldn’t be put in a Wallabies game, a Wallabies fixture,\u201d Hooper said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot because of what I think about his refereeing, just because there’s plenty of great referees out in the world. Piardi’s certainly a referee that can do it at the top level, but it shouldn’t be with Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

He suggested the same principle could potentially apply more broadly where there is a significant history between referees and individual nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that should be a World Rugby directive and that may be with other nations and other referees as well,\u201d Hooper said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn’t mean that every nation should come out and say, \u2018Oh, we don’t want this referee because maybe they’ve had a bad track record\u2019, but World Rugby needs to think about… I would like to see them think about that a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough said. There’s a lot of scar tissue there. I’m sure our listeners and viewers can feel the scar tissue too.\u201d<\/p>\n