How The Wallabies Could Have Also Won vs The British & Irish Lions: Lightning Strikes & Protocols
During the third and final Test between the Wallabies and the British & Irish Lions at Stadium Australia in Sydney, play was halted for nearly an hour following a series of lightning strikes and heavy rainfall. Rugby Australia’s matchday manager, Mark Philip, broke down the process when weather threatens a major international fixture.
“Player safety is paramount,” Philip said. “As soon as lightning is detected within an 8-kilometre radius of the venue, match officials are required to suspend play immediately. Everyone – players, officials, even ground staff – must take shelter until the danger has passed.”
This 8-kilometre lightning rule is part of World Rugby’s global safety protocol. Once the last nearby strike is detected, officials must wait an additional 30 minutes with no new strikes before resuming play.
But how does this affect the match result?
“If we’re unable to resume play, and at least 60 minutes of match time has elapsed, the result stands as final,” said Philip. “If fewer than 60 minutes have been played, the match can be declared void or rescheduled depending on the competition rules.”
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In this case, with over 60 minutes played before the suspension, the match result would have stood even if play had not resumed – a significant point considering the high stakes of the series decider. Had this occurred, Australia would have won the match 8-0. However, the Wallabies eventually defeated the Lions 22-12 after regulation time.
Fortunately for fans and players, skies cleared just in time for a resumption. But had the storm lingered any longer, the final chapter of this dramatic series might have been written by the weather.
