Asked about the Gilpin comments later on Tuesday, in an interview with Stan Sport’s Lions Central, Schmidt leapt to the defence of Tizzano, who has labelled a diver by sections of the British media and Lions fans.
“I just heard the end of it [Gilpin’s press conference] then because we’d just finished training, but talking about the instrumental mouthguards, with Carlo when he was hit, I feel sorry for him because I think he’s copping a lot of flak, but that impact was almost double what they determine as a high magnitude impact,” Schmidt said.
Carlo Tizzano and Jac Morgan collide at the breakdown.Credit: Stan Rugby
“So that’s the degree of force that he had to wear I suppose, and that in itself is enough to force someone to recoil as he did. So those are some of the things that we get actual readings on.
“He’s had a pretty sore neck for the last 24-48 hours, but he’s back, he’s resilient, and he’s back looking forward to the weekend.”
Instrumented mouthguards (IMGs) were funded and rolled out globally by World Rugby last year to all players in elite competitions, and data is captured when players’ heads are subjected to forces that, if high enough, can alert game day doctors to assess a player for a potential concussion. Tizzano received treatment for his neck at the MCG but the reading did not trigger an HIA.
“Just in terms of protecting Carlo, I think it’s just probably getting the information out there that that level of force causes a chain reaction. That’s the equation,” Schmidt said.
“That impact was almost double what they determine as a high magnitude impact.”
Joe Schmidt on the Carlo Tizzano clear-out
World Rugby will deliver the findings of the referee review to the teams, but not make it public, Gilpin said. Part of the reasoning, Gilpin said, is to protect Piardi and the match officials, given online abuse has in recent years had mental health consequences for referees, and even seen their families threatened.
Schmidt would not face consequences for his post-match comments, Gilpin said.
“There’s a lot of emotion, understandably,” Gilpin said. “Joe’s comments have continued to respect the fact that the match officials have got a tough job to do. He might disagree with the decisions that were made, but I don’t think he’s called the integrity of our match officials into question.”
Robinson said match officials go through an extensive review process, and like players, and can face consequences for future appointments.
Harry Wilson of the Wallabies speaks to referee Andrea Piardi about the last try.Credit: Getty Images
“Our team will have looked at the match and looked at, you know, there are always going to be things that don’t work properly and there are going to be things that do,” he said.
“Ultimately, the referees are accountable. So I think there’s a sort of a sense that they’re not. You know, on the basis of performance over time, referees move up the rankings and they move down. They get picked for Test matches or they don’t.”
But Robinson also emphasised the need for WR to support whistleblowers, citing Nic Berry being slammed publicly by Rassie Erasmus in the 2021 Lions tour of South Africa.
“Nic got absolutely hammered, and hammered publicly. And you talk to Nic today and that’s something he’s still recovering from,” he said. “So I take a real responsibility for protecting referees.”
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Revealing the ticketing program for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, RA and World Rugby – the joint organisers – revealed there would be one million tickets available for $100, as part of a drive to make the tournament as affordable and accessible as possible.
With an extra four teams in the tournament, a record 2.5 million tickets will be sold, with adults starting at $40 and children at $20. A limited number of new Superfan passes will also be sold next month, which guarantee four tickets to any match including the final.
After the draw is made in December, tickets will go on sale in phases from February 2026.
All nine matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.
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