The Lions’ epic Test triumph at the MCG to seal a historic series victory over Australia sparked a bitter, polarised post-match row about officiating, play-acting and welfare.
‘Robbed’ is the furious headline in one of the newspapers Down Under and that reflects the mood of host-nation outrage about an incident which they believe unfairly denied the Wallabies a win which would have set up a seismic decider in Sydney next Saturday. The eruption of rage and indignation was prompted by an incident in the last minute of the pulsating close encounter.
Ireland lock James Ryan gathered the ball from an attacking ruck, swerved past a defender and drove hard towards the Australian line. When he was tackled, home back-rower Carlo Tizzano pounced to compete over the ball at the ensuing breakdown, only to be smashed backwards by the Lions’ Welsh flanker, Jac Morgan, with 79 minutes, four seconds on the match clock.
Seconds later, Hugo Keenan crossed for the decisive try, while Tizzano was lying on the ground, holding his head. He had made every attempt to highlight to referee Andrea Piardi that there had been what he considered to be illegal contact made by Morgan.
On the pitch, a try was awarded, but there was a chaotic aftermath. Wallabies captain Harry Wilson approached Piardi to vehemently protest about the nature of the challenge which sent Tizzano sprawling theatrically. Seeing the conversation taking place, Maro Itoje dashed over to intervene and forcibly move his opposite number away from the Italian official.
Once footage of the incident was reviewed in conjunction with the Television Match Official, Piardi’s voice was broadcast on the stadium speakers, declaring that he and his assistants had not seen any evidence of foul play, so the try stood. Cue a cacophony in the stands. The Lions had won.
Australia’s Carlo Tizzano (left) pounces to compete over the ball at a last-gasp breakdown
British & Irish Lions’ Jac Morgan knocks Tizzano backwards, a move Australia said was illegal
Tizzano receives treatment after going to ground whilst holding his head, but the try is given
After that, all hell broke loose. Amid a rising tide of Australian unrest about what they regarded as a miscarriage of justice, victorious head coach Andy Farrell was asked for his take on the episode. He said: ‘I thought it was a brilliant clear-out. It depends which side of the fence you come from. I can understand people’s opinions. I thought Jac was brilliant when he came on.’
Itoje had spoken before the series opener about the need for him to communicate well and establish a positive rapport with the referees. So how had he managed this delicate situation? ‘It was fine,’ he said.
‘Naturally, their captain was trying to get his point across and, in my view, argue for something that didn’t happen. I guess I was just arguing for something that did happen.
‘Fortunately, Jac was accurate with what he was doing and everything was fine.’
When Joe Schmidt, Australia’s head coach, addressed the issue soon after, there was a very different take on the contentious moment. According to the Kiwi, the evidence was conclusive.
‘I think everyone can make their own decision on that,’ he said. ‘You just have to read law 9.20 and you just have to listen to the description from the referee and then watch the vision when two players are described as arriving at the same time. Just watch the footage.’
World Rugby law 9.20 relates to ‘Dangerous play in a ruck or maul’. Section b states: ‘A player must not make contact with an opponent above the line of the shoulders. Sanction: Penalty.’
Here was a classic example of how rugby’s shades-of-grey laws are open to wildly conflicting interpretation. To the British and Irish, it was a non-issue. To the Australians, it was a glaring and disgraceful miscarriage of justice. To the British and Irish, Tizzano had come in from the side of the ruck, illegally — plus he had stooped too far so his head was below his hips, which is not allowed. To the Australians, Morgan hit him too high and had a hand on the floor, which he mustn’t do.
Schmidt was asked how the officials could ‘get this so wrong’ and his response was: ‘Because they are human. 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 are talking about.
‘In a world of player welfare, I think that decision… You only have to look at law 9.20. It’s what they are there to enforce. A player who dives off his feet and is clearly beaten to the position over the ball, makes neck contact.
‘You cannot hit someone above the levels of the shoulders and there’s no bind with the left arm — his hand is on the ground. That’s what we have seen.
‘We have watched a number of replays from different angles, so it is what it is. We just have to accept it.’ Pressed on whether he felt the fact this took place in the last minute was a factor, he added: ‘Yeah, yeah I do.’
Australia’s Harry Wilson complains to match referee Andrea Piardi during Saturday’s Test
Will Skelton (left) and the Lions’ Maro Itoje grapple during a heated encounter at the MCG
This viewpoint about the significance of the timing was endorsed by a former Wallabies captain acting as a match-day pundit.
Speaking on Stan Sport, Michael Hooper said: ‘I can see what the referee is saying, but there’s a penalty there — whether it’s on head, neck or going straight off his feet to the ground. I would say if that is minute one, that’s a penalty.’
Wilson, the current Australia skipper who had been intercepted by Itoje, was asked what he had said to Piardi before the Lions lock had tried to usher him away. He said: ‘I saw a shoulder to the neck and Carlo was pretty sore afterwards and he was straight down. I went to him (Piardi) about it. I was told since he wrapped his arms it’s all good to be hit in the neck.’
The Lions remained resolute in their belief that it was all a storm in a teacup. Finn Russell dismissed any suggestion of foul play by Morgan and argued that Tizzano had gone overboard with his response to being legally moved away from the ruck. ‘I think when you saw it back, their boy is over the ball and Jac has cleared him out. It’s a hard clear-out and that’s all it is.
‘I think he (Tizzano) obviously ends up holding his head as if it’s illegal, which it wasn’t. He obviously holds his head and tried to get a penalty from it. They were trying to get anything at that point. I think that was a brilliant clear-out; pretty much a textbook clear-out. When he’s gone in over the ball, Jac has hit him hard, and that’s how it is.’
Former Lions head coach Warren Gatland was on duty with Sky Sports and speaking after the game, he gave his verdict. ‘I just think that’s a clear-out,’ he said. ‘I don’t know where Jac Morgan is supposed to go. He hasn’t tried to make contact with the head — he’s gone low. It’s a rugby incident; someone just clearing out a ruck.’
No doubt, it will rumble on for days and provide some edge and tension ahead of the series finale in Sydney. It was a classic of the genre as a rugby disciplinary dispute; one side were robbed, the other side shrugged and wondered what all the fuss was about.
