Schmidt and Farrell defend their storm approach after Aussies ride the lightning

“I’m not sure what they did, but I know what we did,” Schmidt said after his players stayed more active during the weather delay in Sydney

Sat, 02 Aug, 2025 - 16:53

Simon Lewis, Sydney

Both Andy Farrell and Joe Schmidt agreed the lightning delay which halted the Lions’ final Test against Australia in Sydney on Saturday was a first in their long rugby careers. However the rival head coaches appeared to react in different ways to the unusual situation.

Referee Nika Amakusheli called the players off in the 43rd minute on advice from stadium officials following two lightning strikes within 10 kilometres of Accor Stadium. Safety rules dictated that play could not resume until 30 minutes after the most recent strike and it was 37 minutes before the game was restarted at 9:50pm local time.

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