Lions forward James Ryan was carted off the field in a neck brace after a sickening collision with Wallabies giant Will Skelton.
Ryan attempted to tackle Skelton, who stands an absurd 6ft 7in, but came off worse for wear when his head smacked into the Aussie’s knee.
The 29-year-old was knocked unconscious as a result as Lions medical staff rushed onto the field.
However, it did not stop a brief scuffle as Wallabies scrum-half Nic White and Lions flanker Tom Curry squared off, with the Aussie seemingly unaware Ryan lay prone on the turf only a few feet away.
Eventually the dispute between the two was settled as medical staff continued to assess Ryan.
Despite the play being halted, more controversy quickly transpired.
In a bid to keep the crowd entertained amid the pause in action as well as a heavy downpour in Sydney, the stadium PA decided to play the iconic Neil Diamond hit ‘Sweet Caroline’.
But given the seriousness of Ryan’s injury, it was a decision that went down like a lead balloon.
“It feels a little bit wrong playing Sweet Caroline while someone is laid out on the turf concussed,” talkSPORT commentator Andrew McKenna said.
“I see what they’re trying to do to keep the atmosphere going. But it doesn’t feel right.”
One fan on social media added: “Absolutely horrific work by the DJ to play Sweet Caroline while Ryan is clearly in a bad way.”
Ryan was eventually taken off the field on a medical cart and thankfully let fans know he was OK via a thumbs-up.
However, there would be yet another delay to the pulsating contest.
This time it was due to a lightning strike in the vicinity of Accor Stadium in Homebush.
In the interest of players’ safety, it meant the Wallabies and Lions had to head back to their dressing rooms.
Dressing room cameras captured the differing approaches of the two teams to the break, as the Aussies were captured deep in discussion about how to maintain their 8-0 lead.
As for the Lions, they cut a carefree nature as Scottish ace Finn Russell was captured scrolling on his phone.
But the tourists made sure there would be no more peeking behind the curtain, as a towel was quickly placed over their dressing room camera.
Play will resume at 12:50pm BST.
More to follow…
