SYDNEY -- The Wallabies say they will have no trouble getting up for the third Test against the British and Irish Lions, as Rugby Australia [RA] seeks some clarity over the controversial decision that saw the tourists' match-winning try stand in Melbourne on Saturday night.
The Lions wrapped up their first series win since 2013 with a try by fullback Hugo Keenan with 79.10 on the clock, generating a huge roar around the MCG as 90,307 fans cheered and groaned in almost equal measure.
But the result hung in the balance for several minutes as Italian referee Andrea Piardi and his assistants pored over vision of Jac Morgan's clean-out of Carlo Tizzano one phase earlier.
The collision was ultimately cleared by the officials, but Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt later unleashed on the decision, claiming Morgan's clean-out clearly contravened law 9.20, which states that: A player must not make contact with an opponent above the line of the shoulders.
Speaking on Sunday, RA boss Phil Waugh said the national body would seek "accountability" on the decision from World Rugby.
"I was a player. I made plenty of mistakes and players make errors. Referees at times will interpret things differently," Waugh told Code Sports.
"We've got the utmost respect in respecting the referee's decision.
"But I do think there's a level of accountability and explanation that needs to come with that. And we look forward to that."
Any feedback RA gains from World Rugby is likely to be kept private, while World Rugby chief executive will be quizzed over the incident by media in Sydney this week, where he is in town to unveil the ticketing plans for Rugby World Cup 2027.
While the defeat left Schmidt livid and his Wallabies players gutted, scrum-half Jake Gordon said his team would take positives from their performances regardless, insisting Australia were heading in the right direction.
"It's disappointing as the result is, we're definitely improving as a team," Gordon told reporters after Australia's three-point loss at the MCG. "It's just the consistency to probably control that back end of the second half, we just sort of let them back into the game.
"We found that when they got quick ball they were really hard to contain, similar to us in that first half. I feel like we're definitely improving as a team and we have a game next week, which we're excited for, it's another big crowd in Sydney. It's a shame that it's not going towards a decider, but hopefully with some of the efforts we did tonight we made the fans proud."
Gordon said the Wallabies would have no issue getting up for Saturday's series finale at Accor Stadium, despite the fact they had lost a second straight series to the Lions following the tourists' triumph in 2013.
"Pretty easy [to get up], I hope tonight made our fans proud tonight," he added. "But we have another big Test match, it's still an opportunity for the Wallabies to play the Lions. I don't see it as a hard game to get up for."
While Gordon typically might have come off in the second half, replacement scrum-half Tate McDermott had already been deployed because of winger Harry Potter's hamstring injury and Australia's 6-2 bench split. That meant Gordon had a front-row seat to the final match-defining sequence, though the veteran No. 9 gave little away when asked about Morgan's clean-out.
"I've only seen it live, I haven't had a chance to look back at it, but they're conversations that the coach and the referee boss have after. It's not for me to comment on.
"The thing with rugby is it's so highly contested, there is always going to be opinion around that stuff. You have to slow it down and have a proper look and I haven't had an opportunity to do that."