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The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
World Rugby hits back at Joe Schmidt over criticism of controversial decision in second Lions Test
World Rugby have leapt to the defence of referee Andrea Piardi and his officiating team and said that some of Australia head coach Joe Schmidt 's criticism in the wake of the second Test was 'disappointing'. Wallabies boss Schmidt accused the officials of not fully considering player welfare when deciding not to penalise Jac Morgan for a clearout on Carlo Tizzano in the move that led to Hugo Keenan's series-securing score at the MCG. The incident has provoked significant debate online subsequently with the rugby world split on a moment that again illustrated the shades of grey within the game's lawbook, particularly around the ruck area. World Rugby have confirmed that Piardi and the officials have been reviewing the game both amongst themselves and in combination with coaches from both teams, as is standard after any international clash. They will not, however, be releasing the outcome of any of those discussions publicly as they bid to protect their referees and avoid a repeat of the abuse suffered by Nic Berry after the first Test in South Africa. Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus was given a ban and apologised to Berry after a video was leaked in which he criticised the decision-making of the referee, which the Australian official said had threatened his reputation. Wayne Barnes, meanwhile, faced death threats after taking charge of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand, which the Springboks won 12-11. Schmidt will not face a sanction for his comments but Alan Gilpin, the chief executive of World Rugby, felt they were misplaced and that the game must continue to support officials. 'I think it is disappointing when the reaction is one of, 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously', because we have worked really hard on that narrative,' Gilpin said. 'Everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. You can see that from what we are doing with the instrumented mouthguards, all the research, the science, the investigations. 'You'll all recall, three years ago in the last Lions series in South Africa, when the match official in the first test was very heavily criticised, the mental health challenges. [Former referee] Wayne Barnes has talked about it – we've got match officials who, when they're criticised publicly, having their families targeted outside the school gates, that's not good, that's not fair, and that's not right, so we've got to support these guys. 'We won't talk publicly about that decision. The decision's happened, the game's finished, we'll move on, we'll share, and we do share, with Joe and the coaching team why the match official's made that decision. Joe's got a view about what was wrong with that decision making, and there'll be a debate between them about that, so that Joe and his players can go into the next Test, understanding how that game's going to be officiated.' Gilpin has talked to Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh, who had also questioned the decision, with the pair both present in Sydney at the launch of ticketing packages for the 2027 Rugby World Cup which will be held Down Under. The Morgan and Tizzano incident has led to discussions about how the sport may be simplified, with the high intensity, complex contacts around the ruck area an area of concern. 'We are reviewing the way the game is officiated and played all the time,' Gilpin explained. 'You know, we do an annual shape of the game conference that includes players, coaches, high-performance experts, match officials, fan input, broadcaster input, so all of that is a concern, but if we oversimplify rugby, it wouldn't be rugby, right? 'The breakdown is one of the toughest areas. We know that. We'll continue to work really hard with the match officials group to get consistency in the way that those key areas are officiated, and that provides, hopefully, the clarity to players and coaches. But like in any high-level sport, coaches are always looking for the edge with their teams, and we respect that.' Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli, who was an assistant to Piardi in Melbourne, will be in charge of the third Test in Sydney this weekend.
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
World Rugby rebuffs Joe Schmidt's safety claim over Lions' match-winning try
World Rugby rejects Joe Schmidt's claim that the decision not to punish Jac Morgan's clearout in Australia's defeat by the British and Irish Lions on Saturday contravenes the game's player safety principles. Hugo Keenan touched down with 51 seconds left at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but the match-winning try was only given after the TMO had reviewed Morgan's contact with Carlo Tizzano in the preceding ruck, which was ultimately deemed legal by referee Andrea Piardi. Furious Schmidt, who had seen his Wallabies edged 29-26 to concede the series with one Test to play, insisted it was the wrong call, adding that 'it doesn't really live up to the big player safety push that they (World Rugby) are talking about'. Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh backed Schmidt's view that it was a dangerous clearout and the try should have been disallowed. World Rugby has been conducting a review into the incident in conjunction with Australia, the Lions and the match officials, which will be completed in time for Saturday's final Test between the rivals in Sydney. Chief executive Alan Gilpin, speaking at an event revealing ticketing details for the 2027 World Cup, has hit back at Schmidt. 'It's disappointing when the reaction is one of 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously' because we have worked really hard on that narrative,' said Gilpjn, who revealed Schmidt will not face disciplinary action for his comments. 'Everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. 'You can see that from what we are doing with the instrumented mouthguards, all the research, the science, the investigations. 'The way the laws of the game have evolved in the last few years is all about 'how do we have this great physical contest, but make it as safe as possible?'. That part is challenging, in terms of the player welfare statements.' Gilpin insists Piardi and his assistants Ben O'Keeffe and Nika Amashukeli are being supported amid the backlash against the officials in some quarters. And the World Rugby boss invoked Rassie Erasmus' public criticism of Nic Berry during the Lions' tour to South Africa in 2021 and the experiences of retired referee Wayne Barnes, who has spoken of the abuse his family received, to highlight the importance of protecting officials. 'It's just making them realise they're supported and that we are checking in on them. They're a great unit. They've been together on this tour as a team,' Gilpin said. 'You'll recall that in the last Lions series in South Africa, when the match official in the first Test was very heavily criticised…the mental health challenges… 'Wayne Barnes has talked about it. We've got match officials who, when they're criticised publicly, see their families targeted outside the school gates. 'That's not good, that's not fair and that's not right, so we've got to support these guys.' Australia 2027 has released details of its ticketing plan for the next World Cup, with fans able to register to access the presale from Tuesday.
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Calls for more respect for referees after Wallabies' uproar in second Lions Test
World Rugby officials have called for greater respect to be shown towards referees following the furore over the pivotal late call in Saturday's second Test between Australia and the British & Irish Lions. Alan Gilpin, World Rugby's chief executive, believes the mental health of match officials needs prioritising and has described the post-game outburst by Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt as 'disappointing'. The call by Italian referee Andre Piardi to allow the Lions' match-clinching late score was criticised by Schmidt, who was unhappy with the decision not to penalise Jac Morgan for a clear-out just prior to Hugo Keenan's try. A routine post-match review of the officiating remains ongoing but Gilpin says public criticism of match officials is unfair on those at the sharp end. 'We've got match officials who, when they're criticised publicly, are having their families targeted outside the school gates,' said Gilpin, all too aware of the external pressure to which referees can now be subjected. 'That's not good, that's not fair, and that's not right, so we've got to support these guys.' World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson is similarly concerned and says Nic Berry, the referee whose performance was criticised by Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus on the previous Lions tour in 2021, is still suffering from the after-effects. 'Nic Berry is a mate of mine from Brisbane and he got absolutely hammered in the last Lions series in South Africa,' said Robinson. 'You talk to Nic today and he is still incredibly scarred by the abuse and trolling that happened to him. This [latest episode] reinforces why we have to protect our officials. The sport needs to respect them. Without these people turning up every week we don't have a game.' World Rugby has no plans to release the outcome of their post-game review but Schmidt is set to avoid any sanction for his comments despite publicly suggesting that failing to penalise Morgan for making contact with the neck of Carlo Tizzano undermined the game's stated aim of prioritising player welfare. 'I think it is disappointing when the reaction is, 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously', because we have worked really hard on that narrative,' said Gilpin. 'Everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. 'I think a lot of emotion, understandably. The Wallabies had a chance to win an amazing Test match [and] Joe's comments have continued to respect the fact that the match officials have got a tough job to do. He might disagree with the decisions that were made, but I don't think he's called the integrity of our match officials into question.' Gilpin confirmed, however, that the outcome of the review process would not be made public despite widespread public interest. 'We won't talk publicly about that decision. The decision's happened, the game's finished, we'll move on. [But] we'll share with Joe and the coaching team why the match official has made that decision. Joe's got a view about what was wrong with that decision and there'll be a debate about that, so that Joe and his players can go into the next Test understanding how that game's going to be officiated. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion 'We are reviewing the way the game is officiated and played all the time. We'll continue to work really hard with the match officials group to get consistency in the way key areas are officiated and, hopefully, that provides clarity to players and coaches. But like in any high-level sport, coaches are always looking for an edge with their teams, and we respect that.' World Rugby also say they are still awaiting further details regarding the mooted R360 rebel league, whose backers are currently attempting to woo the world's leading players. 'Investment into the game is great – as long as that investment is driving into the right areas,' said Gilpin. 'If it is creating a more financially sustainable game for players and for the wider ecosystem then we encourage it. We've got to understand what that means in the R360 case.' He is also hopeful that an update regarding the new Nations Cup tournament set to commence in 2026 will finally be forthcoming next month. 'We're at the stage now where for a competition that's going to start next July we've got to get this thing nailed down,' Gilpin said. Organisers of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, meanwhile, have released details of their ticketing programme, starting with the launch next week of a limited number of 'Superfan passes'. In total the organisers say more than 2.5 million tickets will be available for the expanded 24-team tournament, the highest number in history.
