The issues with TMO intervention have been catalogued at length, and it is painful to keep revisiting old ground. Yet, there was an incident towards the end of the Test that summed up the state of the system.
As Wallabies fans were nervously rewatching Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii clocking Tadhg Beirne high and trying to convince themselves it could be downgraded from a card to a penalty, it transpired the TMO was actually studying Ben Donaldson’s supposed late tackle.
Try time? … Jac Morgan scores for the Lions.Credit: Getty Images
No one doubts that TMO has a hard job. But that’s the point – if the job is so difficult and the technology to make definitive calls simply doesn’t exist (was there any proof that the Jac Morgan’s try for the Lions’ was actually grounded?) why has the game become hostage to TMOs? As for the missed head shot on Tom Lynagh at the ruck, it was almost too obvious to be worth mentioning.
Tupou’s big return
There are so many what-ifs after this series. What if Taniela Tupou had been on the bench in Melbourne, when the Lions used Ellis Genge and their scrum weight to eventually put themselves in the position to win the series?
Or what if Tupou had been in good form all year, instead of swimming in a sea of self-doubt in Super Rugby Pacific?
That’s in the past now, but Tupou did show in Sydney that he has the ability to remain a vital part of the Wallabies for years to come. He was far more disciplined than Lions loosehead Andrew Porter at scrum time, and the Wallabies were very unlucky not to win two more scrum penalties – one against Porter and one against Genge, who continues to get away with murder. Whoever pressed his buttons in the First Nations and Pasifika XV camp deserves some praise.
Australia gets a good one back from New Zealand
The Force’s signing of Highlanders No 9 Nathan Hastie flew under the radar this week, but its significance became apparent with Nic White’s retirement announcement.
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Perth product Hastie, 24, has a huge left boot and towering box kick, but his real strength is his desire to take on defenders in and around the ruck. He does not mind mixing with the big boys and has the pace to make breaks and half-breaks with a view to getting an offload away.
This is exactly where the Wallabies have been strong for the past three weeks, with Tate McDermott (two) and Jake Gordon grabbing three tries. The Force will be delighted but Hastie has the potential to get to the next level.
