Nigel Owens has dismissed suggestions that Jac Morgan’s pivotal last-minute clearout was unlawful (Image: © Huw Evans Picture Agency)
Nigel Owens has dismissed suggestions that Jac Morgan’s pivotal last-minute clearout on Carlo Tizzano during the British and Irish Lions’ contentious triumph over Australia was unlawful, instead hailing it as “perfect” and “textbook”.
The Welsh substitute made a game-changing appearance in the second Test in Melbourne, contributing significantly to Andy Farrell’s squad clinching the series. His key play set up the climactic sequence that allowed Hugo Keenan to cross the whitewash, capping off an electrifying 26-29 comeback victory in the final throes of the match.
Morgan’s clearout of Tizzano at the ultimate ruck preceding the try sparked drama, with the Wallaby hitting the deck amid accusations from his side of foul play.
Despite the uproar, the TMO concurred with referee Andrea Piardi’s call to uphold the try, leaving Joe Schmidt irate post-match, arguing that overlooking Morgan’s action contradicted the sport’s commitment to player safety.
The Wallabies head coach also stated that one only needed to “read law 9.20” to comprehend why his team should have been awarded a penalty. The law stipulates that “a player must not charge into a ruck or maul without binding onto another player,” and further adds that “making contact above the line of the shoulders with an opponent is dangerous play and is prohibited.”
Jac Morgan lines up the clearout (Image: BBC)
However, renowned referee Owens has now entered the debate, asserting that Morgan actually executed the “perfect clearout” with no foul play involved.
During a stint on BBC Radio Wales on Monday morning, the 54 year old was questioned about the incident, and remarked: “There are a lot of experts on social media and a lot of pundits who think they are experts at refereeing as well.
“Firstly, what you need to judge is a couple of things here. Are Jac Morgan’s actions legal? So, is he coming in low, with the arms out ready to wrap and clear out?”.
“If he wasn’t doing that or he was leading with a shoulder, then you would have foul play and you would have a penalty. But his actions are actually perfect in the way you’d expect a player to clean out.”
Delving deeper into the clearout, Owens added: “The Australian player who has come in, there is a chance that he hasn’t actually come through the gate but that is irrelevant to the outcome anyway, because if there was foul play, it would trump that.
“The Australian player gets in and he is also very low. This happens all the way through the game, we see many of these incidents. Morgan comes in and tries to go underneath him, go really low to clear him out. It is textbook clearing out.
“The only time that this type of action would be illegal is if the Australian player was in that position, and Morgan was a couple of seconds later arriving and he did what he did, when he had time to readjust. Then there would be the conversation that there could be foul play.
“But it is very dynamic, like the referee explained, both of them are in pretty much simultaneously. The Australian player gets there a split second before Jac Morgan, but Morgan is already coming in in a legal clearout and so then there’s no foul play.
“I know some people in Australia are quoting the law and saying ‘well, he’s going in low’,” he continued. “But if you’re quoting the law, both players are low in that [tackle]. It’s a perfect clearout.”
Whilst the dispute surrounding the match and series-clinching try dominated discussions following the second Test, Morgan managed to deliver a significant contribution from the replacements’ bench in Melbourne, concluding the encounter with two powerful runs and five defensive hits, whilst completing substantial work at the breakdown.
Having been let down by the quality of the opening Test, Owens was thrilled with what he witnessed from Farrell and Schmidt’s teams on this occasion, whilst he hailed Morgan as “something special”. “What a great game of rugby, to everybody involved in it,” he said.
“To the players from both sides and the officials as well who did a pretty great job really, overall, thoughout the game. It really was what rugby is all about.
“We needed that after the first Test which was a bit of a damp squib. I think probably as a Welshman, there wasn’t as mich interest in the first Test because there was no Welsh player involved, but Morgan was involved in the second Test and became crucially involved as well.
“He is one of the great players and he will go on to be remembered as one of the greats, I’m pretty sure. He is an immense player and was very, very unlucky not to be starting the first or the second Test. To be fair, Curry has been playing well but Morgan is outstanding.
“He is probably the most down to earth and most decent rugby player you could ever wish to meet,” the former referee added. “He is something special.”