The two key pieces of evidence that prove Jac Morgan's clearout series WAS legal - and the one thing the referee got wrong in moment that decided Lions v Australia series, writes SIR CLIVE WOODWARD

Andrea Piardi had a very, very good game in the British & Irish Lions’ series-clinching second Test win over Australia in Melbourne - right up until the final moment of the match.

The Italian referee's decision not to penalise Lions flanker Jac Morgan for his clearout on Wallaby forward Carlo Tizzano in the build-up to Hugo Keenan’s decisive try has very much divided opinion. The Australian rugby public has been up in arms, with the back pages in the country saying they were robbed at the death.

Here’s my take. It was a huge, huge call. In the end, I think Piardi and his team of officials made the right judgment. But I can see why the way it was handled has annoyed the Australians and their coach Joe Schmidt.

The mistake Piardi made was when he said Morgan and Tizzano arrived at the contact area at the same time. They quite clearly didn’t. Tizzano beat Morgan to the ball. Only just. But he did. So, I can see why the Australians are annoyed by Piardi’s wording and justification. I do feel for Schmidt on that.

I’ve seen a lot of people calling the Australians whingers, too. I don’t think we can say that. Of course they were disappointed to have lost a game they played so well in and the series as a result. But we have to accept that if the shoe had been on the other foot, those of us in the corner of the Lions would have been very disappointed at such a decision.

The crux of the matter is how the contact area is refereed. It is so, so difficult for officials. Yes, Morgan made contact with Tizzano’s neck. But what was he supposed to do? In that situation, Morgan had nowhere else to go. He went as low as he could and in my opinion, produced a great play.

To me, it was noticeable that on the Sky Sports commentary Sam Warburton said the clearout by Morgan was not just legal, but quite brilliant. As a former flanker and jackal specialist, Warburton’s comments hold severe weight.

It is quite right that rugby is taking significant steps to improve player welfare and protect those on the field from serious injuries. No one can argue against that. But if Morgan had been penalised in that situation, it would have opened up a can of worms because it was physically impossible for the Welshman to get any lower at the ruck.

Morgan couldn’t have done more. He was not reckless in his actions. Nor did he deliberately endanger the welfare of Tizzano. That doesn’t really happen in the modern game anyway. Those who think Morgan should have been penalised are essentially saying the management of the contact area must be changed entirely.

The only alternative Morgan had other than what he did was to leave Tizzano over the ball and not touch him because he was worried he would hit his neck. Clearly, that was not an option for him. In such a situation, we may as well do away with the ruck altogether and play touch rugby.

There can be no doubt, however, that the jackal is an incredibly dangerous area of the game. The players compete for the ball at the ruck with their neck exposed. Those that do so in the professional game are trained for it. The likes of Morgan and Tom Curry are elite athletes. They train full-time to ensure their bodies are capable of dealing with such situations, working especially hard on their neck muscles.

The top poachers for the ball have to be incredibly strong. One thing that does worry me is that those playing at the grassroots level will look at the Morgan-Tizzano incident and try and replicate it. Playing at your club or school is very different to doing so at the highest level.

If the situation we saw at the Melbourne Cricket Ground at the weekend was replicated on a local parks pitch, the result might be very different because the players at that level aren’t in the same physical condition as the likes of Morgan and Tizzano. That is a concern and a problem for rugby because you can’t have different rules at different levels of the game. I’m not quite sure about the answer to that predicament. 

Ultimately, the Lions deserved to win regardless of the Morgan incident as their second-half comeback was truly excellent. Hats off to Andy Farrell and all his players for their achievement. The furore surrounding the Morgan clearout shouldn’t detract from the fine job the Lions have done.

Now, they must win the series 3-0.

Congratulations to the Lionesses 

I’d like to end this column by saying a huge congratulations to the Lionesses for winning the European Championship once again. It is a phenomenal achievement.

There is a saying in professional sport I love – talent alone is not enough. I really believe in that and I think it sums up England’s team perfectly.

To beat Sweden, Italy and Spain by a combination of extra time and penalties showed not only the incredible heart and passion of the team, but also their fitness and conditioning.

In the final, England came up against a Spain side who were hugely talented. For long periods they were the better team and looked like they would be winners.

But the Spaniards didn’t have the resilience and grit of the English. I take my hat off to Sarina Wiegman and all her players. Talent alone is not enough.

And England had both the ability and mental strength to come through. It’s a big well done to them from me.