Australia coach certain Morgan clearout was penalty

Australia coach Joe Schmidt says the decision not to penalise Jac Morgan for his clearout in the lead-up to the British and Irish Lions’ match-winning try in the second Test goes against the sport’s “push for player safety”.

Hugo Keenan’s score in the final play of the game snatched a 29-26 victory for the tourists and secured a first Test series win for the Lions since 2013.

The Television Match Official checked Morgan’s clearout on Carlo Tizzano at the final ruck before the try and agreed with Andrea Piardi’s initial decision to award the try.

“I think everyone can make their own decision on that,” Schmidt said.

“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 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 you have to “read law 9.20” to understand why it should have been a penalty.

Law 9.20 states: “A player must not charge into a ruck or maul without binding onto another player.”

Fly-half Finn Russell said Morgan, who came on as a replacement for Tom Curry early in the second half, produced a “textbook” clearout.

He added that he felt Tizzano’s reaction was to try to get the score overturned.

“When he goes down holding his head, there’s always going to be a question,” Russell said.

“But I think when you saw it back, it just shows that it’s a textbook clearout. I think it’s a brilliant clearout from Jac.

“He’s gone in there and Tizzano’s over the ball, which is a good play from him. But I think Jac’s just cleared him out really well. It’s almost the aggression that he cleared him out with.

“That’s what the question mark was almost. It shouldn’t be a question mark. He obviously holds his head and tries to get a penalty from it.”

The fly-half’s view is similar to the one held by Lions head coach Andy Farrell.

“It was a brilliant clearout. I couldn’t understand what they were going back for,” added Farrell.

Former Lions tourist Andy Nicol was also in agreement that Morgan, who is the only Wales player remaining on the trip and was making his Lions Test debut, did “nothing wrong”.

Nicol told BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly: “He was always low. The ‘jackaler’ went in and put his head in a dangerous position and Jac cleared him out.

“I was watching in the stands and said if this is turned over, it’s the end of rugby.

“That was a classic rugby incident. That’s how Jac Morgan and every player is taught and coached to clear out a ruck.

“Just because the player went flying back and highlighted where it was on the back of the neck, that’s where real injuries happen so they are looking at it, but that was a perfect clearout.”

The Lions went into the game as favourites to seal the series after a comfortable first Test win in Brisbane, where they at one point led 24-5.

The Wallabies finished well there to lose 27-19 and continued that form into the second game in Melbourne.

Schmidt’s side grabbed three first-half tries – two in quick succession with England’s Tommy Freeman in the sin-bin – to lead 23-5.

A decider in Sydney, as there was in 2013, looked to be on the cards until the Lions fought back from 18 points down to win the game with the final play and get in front for the first time in the match.

Despite the crushing defeat, the Wallabies – who for the first time in their history failed to qualify for the knockout stages of a Rugby World Cup in 2023 – showed they were a worthy match for Lions.

“It’s painful, I’m so proud of the team and how we bounced back,” Wallabies captain Harry Wilson said.