Australia rugby legend Morgan Turinui has accused the referees of being 'too weak' to overturn Hugo Keenan's late try as the Wallabies lost 29-26 to the British and Irish Lions on Saturday.
The hosts had gone into the showdown hoping to level the series after losing the first match last weekend.
However, despite leading 23-5 at one point, Australia ended up crashing to defeat with the Lions conjuring a brilliant comeback to emerge victorious.
Just before Keenan's late try, Jac Morgan collided with Australia's Carlo Tizzano - hitting the star's back, just below the neck.
GETTY
|Australia rugby legend Morgan Turinui has accused the referees of being 'too weak' to overturn Hugo Keenan's late try as the Wallabies lost 29-26 to the British and Irish Lions on Saturday
Tizzano fell backwards, holding his head, but Keenan's effort was still allowed to stand.
However, Turinui has now vented his fury and expressed a belief the effort should have been disallowed.
“Easy, simple call – you can’t hit a guy in the neck," said the Australia rugby icon.
He then added: “The end is a penalty to the Wallabies and the referees were too weak to give it.
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HIGHWAY ROBBERY
— Darren Walton (@DarrenWalton369) July 26, 2025
The @wallabies robbed by “weak”referees, says @MorganTurinui
“The end is a penalty to the Wallabies and the referees were too weak to give it. You cannot hit a guy in the back of the neck to save the ball.” pic.twitter.com/KwHZK1ze6y
"It doesn’t matter, you cannot hit a guy in the back of the neck to save the ball from a guy who is legally jackalling.
"The referees got it wrong, it has cost the Wallabies survival in the series and the British and Irish Lions lead 2-0.
"It was brave from them to come back but it was a terrible decision to decide this match.”
Australia coach Joe Schmidt has also admitted that his players are 'angry' after ultimately coming up short, despite an improved display.
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"The players are gutted. They’re angry. I’ve got to let that emotion settle a bit," he told Sky Sports.
"We travel to Sydney tomorrow, then we’ve got a day to recover — because they gave everything tonight.
"There’s always pride in pulling on the jersey. This series is part of the journey.
"We wanted to be alive going into [the third Test] Sydney, and we were right until the end."
He continued: “It’s a tough one to take. We led for 79 minutes and then got a decision at the end that’s left us feeling pretty forlorn.
"I’m still incredibly proud of the players — they responded after last week’s result and showed real mettle.
"They showed they can play. We found space on the edges and through the middle, and looked like a real attacking threat.
"Congratulations to the Lions on winning the series — we’ve got to dust ourselves off and keep working to improve."
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GETTY | Hugo Keenan celebrates with British and Irish Lions fans following their victory over AustraliaThe final Test between the Lions and Australia will take place next Saturday (11am).
Whether the tourists can secure a series whitewash with a 3-0 triumph remains to be seen.