The legendary referee has weighed in on the Lions controversy that has sparked debate around the world
10:16, 28 Jul 2025Updated 10:17, 28 Jul 2025
Jac Morgan lines up the clearout
Nigel Owens has rubbished claims Jac Morgan’s crucial last-minute clearout on Carlo Tizzano in the British and Irish Lions’ controversial win over Australia was illegal, instead describing it as “perfect” and “textbook”.
The Welshman came off the bench in the second Test in Melbourne to play a decisive role in securing the series victory for Andy Farrell’s side, as he made a crucial intervention in the lead-up to the final passage of play, which saw Hugo Keenan dive over the line to seal a stunning 26-29 comeback win in the dying moments.
Seconds earlier, Morgan had cleared out Tizzano at the final ruck before the try, with the Wallabies man falling to the ground in dramatic fashion as his teammates and coaches alleged that he had been taken out illegally. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
The incident was checked by the TMO, who agreed with the initial decision of referee Andrea Piardi to award the try, with a fuming Joe Schmidt claiming after the game that the decision not to penalise Morgan and disallow the try goes against rugby’s “push for player safety”.
The Wallabies head coach also said one only had to “read law 9.20” to understand why his side should have been awarded a penalty. The law states that “a player must not charge into a ruck or maul without binding onto another player,” and adds that “making contact above the line of the shoulders with an opponent is a dangerous play and is prohibited”.
However, legendary referee Owens has now weighed in on the debate, claiming that Morgan actually carried out the “perfect clearout” with no foul play present.
During an appearance on BBC Radio Wales on Monday morning, the 54-year-old was quizzed on the incident, and said: “There are a lot of experts on social media and a lot of pundits who think they are experts at refereeing as well.
“First of all, what you need to 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.”
Analysing the clearout further, 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.
Nigel Owens.(Image: © Huw Evans Picture Agency)
“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.”
While the controversy around the game and series-winning try was the main talking point from the second Test, Morgan was able to make a big impact from the bench in Melbourne, ending the game with two strong carries and five tackles, while getting through a lot of work at the breakdown.
After being disappointed by the standard of the first Test, Owens was delighted with what he saw from Farrell and Schmidt’s sides this time around, while he praised Morgan as “something special”.
Morgan found himself at the centre of controversy at the end of the second Lions Test
“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.”