WR backs officers and will not sanction Schmidt after Lions controversy.

Joe Schmidt Avoids Sanctions After Controversy in the Wallabies vs. Lions Match

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will not face any disciplinary action for his comments on the controversial ending of the second British and Irish Lions match. The news comes after Jac Morgan’s controversial play. Alan Gilpin, head of World Rugby, confirmed that the findings of an ongoing review into Jac Morgan’s action will not be made public. Gilpin was in Sydney to present the ticket sales process for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

“No, I think Joe, you know, there’s a lot of emotion, understandably. The Wallabies had the opportunity to win an incredible match. We understand the emotion involved in that.”

Alan Gilpin, head of World Rugby

Gilpin backed the party officials and confirmed that Schmidt would not be sanctioned for his “emotional” comments after the match. Schmidt’s comment that may have generated problems was that the decision not to penalize Morgan, and to annul the try that sealed the series for Hugo Keenan, was not “up to the great push for player safety that they talk about”.

Gilpin expressed his disappointment that many comments questioned World Rugby’s commitment to player welfare. Gilpin stated that the review would be finalized in the coming days and that he had briefly spoken with the head of Rugby Australia, Phil Waugh, who had requested an “explanation” and some “accountability” from World Rugby regarding the decision. However, he said the findings would not be made public.

“We will not speak publicly about that decision; the decision has already been made, the game is over, and we move on,” said Gilpin. “We will share and share with Joe and the technical team why the match officials made that decision. Joe has an opinion on what was wrong with that decision-making and there will be a debate between them about that, so that Joe and his players can go into the next game understanding how that game will be officiated.”