“ROBBED,” the back page of Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph declared the morning after the night before, an opinion with which Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt appeared to agree. “It was a tough one to take,” the Australia rugby head coach had said after a long explanation of why he felt Jac Morgan’s clean out on Carlo Tizzano should have been penalised that included a reference to the lawbook and an accusation that the referees had not put player welfare first. Around the grabby headline, the Sydney paper planted what it felt was incriminating evidence – the law that Schmidt had quoted; Morgan making contact high on the back or neck of Tizzano; the flanker writhing in pain. This one clearly stings.
Another official in another circumstance might have seen a Morgan misdeed; Andrea Piardi felt differently and allowed Hugo Keenan’s series-winning score to stand. Plenty of those of an Australian persuasion will continue to feel aggrieved but, in time, perhaps they will reflect how encouraging it was that they could be in a situation where a contentious call settled the second Test. There had been few signs of such competitiveness seven days prior, a meek surrender in the first half in Brisbane slightly salvaged by an improved showing after the interval – but all in attendance were under no illusions about which side had been in total command throughout.
