In a fiery debate that’s set the rugby world ablaze, former elite referee Nigel Owens has stepped in to clarify the controversial clearout by Jac Morgan on Carlo Tizzano during the British and Irish Lions' recent clash with the Wallabies. The incident, pivotal to Hugo Keenan’s match-winning try, has sparked a storm of opinions, but Owens’ detailed analysis might just settle the score.
Owens dissected the play on World Rugby’s Whistle Watch, asserting the legality of Morgan’s actions.
"If you’re coaching the law, the players arriving at the breakdown must arrive upwards and not off their feet,"
Owens explained. He scrutinized Tizzano’s positioning, noting that despite being low to the ground and supporting his body weight, Morgan’s approach—arms wrapped and not leading with a shoulder—was within the legal boundaries of the game.The debate peaked when some suggested Morgan had gone off his feet, a potential infringement. However, Owens was quick to counter that.
"The fact he does go to ground after the attempted clearout is pretty much irrelevant because he doesn’t come in diving; he’s coming in low to try to move a player,"
he stated, reinforcing that such actions are commonplace and generally permissible within the sport.Another contentious point was whether there was illegal contact with Tizzano’s neck. While Ugo Monye, presenting the show, felt there might have been, Owens disagreed on the grounds of it not being "clear and obvious" and emphasized the dynamic nature of the play.
"Not every contact around the head or neck area is foul play. Sometimes there is a genuine rugby collision,"
Owens remarked, suggesting that in the heat of such moments, not all contact is punishable.Owens concluded with a firm stance, shared by many of his refereeing peers, that the match officials had made the right call by not penalizing Morgan. This decision, he believed, was straightforward for most referees and upheld the integrity of the game in a highly charged scenario.