OLD Monmothian World Cup final referee Wayne Barnes has waded into the furore over the Lions’ last-gasp series-winning try in Australia – saying the referee was correct and there was no offence by Wales star Jac Morgan clearing out the ruck.

The game was in the final minute with the Lions trailing 26-24 when Morgan drove Carlo Tizzano off the ball before Hugo Keenan dived over.

The shell-shocked Wallabies claimed Morgan was guilty of dangerous play hitting Tizzano’s head, with Australia coach Joe Schmidt claiming Italian referee Andrea Piardi’s decision was 'completely wrong', despite being backed by the TMO.

And watching back home in Bream, Barnes, who refereed the 2023 South Africa v New Zealand World Cup final, agreed with the officials, who "had a wonderful feel for the game".

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said: "Rugby is a dynamic game with lots of moving parts and yes, player safety is at the heart of everything the game is currently doing, but these things happen.

"It’s worth re-emphasising that every time there is head contact, it does not mean that there is foul play…

“When the team of officials met in the middle of the pitch to discuss the match-defining incident, with 90,000 spectators listening to every single word, (Andrea) Piardi began by explaining that Jac Morgan and Carlo Tizzano arrived at the same time.

“(Ben) O’Keeffe added to the dramatic discussion that ‘it was dynamic’ and Morgan was ‘wrapping’. Piardi then summarised the thoughts of all three – ‘It’s play-on for us’.

“When Piardi announced the decision of his team over the stadium PA system – a great addition to international rugby – there was a deluge of noise at the MCG. And there was also a sense of relief on my sofa.

“Dan Biggar, on Sky Sports’ commentary, asked: ‘Where could he go?’ and when Ronan O’Gara was asked what he was seeing, he replied quickly: ‘Very little.’ I couldn’t have agreed more with the two ex-internationals."