‘You can’t hit above the shoulders’: Wallabies coach fumes as Lions win series at MCG

Fuming Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said referees had failed in their duty to protect player welfare by not penalising a Lions forward for hitting flanker Carlo Tizzano on the neck before a match-winning try – a call that likely cost Australia a series-levelling win.

Schmidt came out firing after a highly controversial finish to the second Test at the MCG, where the Lions scored in the final minute to win 29-26 and secured the series 2-0, with a third game to come.

It was an agonising end but was all the more heartbreaking for the Wallabies given they believed the try should have been disallowed due to illegal play in the last ruck before Hugo Keenan’s 79th-minute try.

With Tizzano attempting to steal the ball, Wales flanker Jac Morgan hit the Wallaby on the back of the neck to clean him out.

Wallabies captain Harry Wilson rushed to Italian referee Andrea Piardi to ask for a review but after watching replays on the big screen, Piardi determined it was not dangerous because both players arrived at the ruck at the same time and Morgan had wrapped his arm.

A penalty in Australia’s favour would have likely seen them take the series to a decider in Sydney.

Carlo Tizzano of the Wallabies receives medical attention.Credit: Getty Images

Australian commentators were incredulous, with former Wallaby Morgan Turinui saying it clearly warranted a penalty but the referee was “too weak to give it”, and former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper saying it would have been awarded if it wasn’t the 79th minute.

Speaking after the game, Schmidt said it was a clear penalty and agreed that the game clock was a factor in Piardi’s decision.

“You just have to read law 9.20, and I guess you just have to listen to the description from the referee and then watch the vision,” Schmidt said. “When two players are described as arriving at the same time, just watch the footage.

Harry Wilson urges referee Andrea Piardi to review the last ruck.Credit: Getty Images

“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.

“You cannot hit someone above the level of the shoulders, and there’s no wrapping with the left arm, the hands on the ground. That’s what we’ve seen, and we’ve watched a number of replays from different angles. It is what it is. We just have to accept it.”

World Rugby’s Law 9.20 states: “Any contact made with an opponent above the line of the shoulders during a charge into a ruck or maul is a penalty.”

Replays also show Tizzano positioned over the ball at the ruck well ahead of Morgan.

Schmidt said he would seek clarity from World Rugby about head and neck contact, after also questioning the Lions’ first try, where hooker Dan Sheehan dived over the top of two Wallabies defenders near the line. World Rugby laws forbid jumping defenders, but allow for diving.

Carlo Tizzano arriving at the ruck before Jac Morgan at the MCG.Credit: Stan Sport

“I think probably one of the things is that we’re trying to make sure we’re tackling lower. We had two tacklers going in to tackle low, and he dived and scored. I can see according to law how that can be just diving and scoring,” Schmidt said.

“It’s illegal to jump the tackle, but he dived over. I guess what it now challenges World Rugby to do is if we get two guys going in to go low, and a guy dives over like that, he’s pretty much head first.

“So what do we do to stop him scoring, apart from stopping his head? Because there’s not much else you can do.

“I feel for the players because they get backed into a bit of a corner around head contact. It’s such a taboo subject, and we’re trying to make the game safer. So you’ve got a contrast there that I guess we’ll look back at and ask some questions on.”

Hugo Keenan is chaired from the field after scoring the winning try.Credit: Getty Images

When pressed if referees would feel insulted by his assertion they were not protecting player welfare, Schmidt said: “When they look back at the decision they made, they may or may not. I spoke about one incident, and I said in a world of player welfare, I think that decision, you only have to look at law 9.20. It’s what they’re there to enforce.

“A player who dives off his feet, is clearly beaten to the position over the ball, makes neck contact, it was a tough one to take.

“I don’t want to detract from their [the Lions’] performance.”

A jubilant Lions coach Andy Farrell shrugged off the controversy, saying it was the correct decision.

“I thought it was a brilliant clear-out. It depends which side of the fence you come from. I can understand people’s opinions,” Farrell said.

Bundee Aki celebrates the series win.Credit: Getty Images

Controversial finish aside, the Wallabies were left to rue a Test match that got away after they played superbly and far more physically to lead 23-5 after 30 minutes. But they couldn’t keep their foot on the throat and let the Lions back in the game.

Having enjoyed the power of Will Skelton and Rob Valetini in the first half, the latter was replaced at halftime with a tight calf and Skelton also came off after 47 minutes. The loss of starting props James Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa at halftime also hurt.

Schmidt told his players post-game he was “incredibly proud of them”.

“To stand up and deliver what they did against a collection of some of the world’s best players, I was immensely proud of the effort they’ve made,” he said.

Farrell said it was a dream to win a Lions series – their first since 2013 – but also praised the Wallabies.

“They were good. They turned up. I suppose the drama and how it unfolded is what makes it special. We came here to win a series,” he said.

“It adds to the fairytale. It’s cruel in so many ways for Australia but we stayed in the fight and we got what we deserved.”

All matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.