Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper played 125 times for his country as an openside breakaway, excelling in knowing when to poach the ball while staying on the right side of the referee.

Hooper has a PhD level of knowledge of the breakdown, yet during the Wallabies’ 33-24 loss to New Zealand on Saturday, as an expert commentator for Stan Sport, Hooper initially struggled to explain Italian referee Andrea Piardi’s decision on 72 minutes to yellow card winger Harry Potter for a breakdown decision that killed off the game for the Wallabies.

It begs the question, if a former player with such skill and knowledge at the breakdown needed to study the decision again, what hope did it leave for mere mortals following the game?

Piardi’s decision was proven correct under the benefit of slow mo

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