World Rugby on Monday said that referee Craig Joubert got it wrong when he awarded a last-minute penalty that secured Australia’s victory over Scotland in their World Cup quarter-final.
The global governing body gave a rare verdict on a referee’s actions amid an outcry in Britain over the penalty that Bernard Foley kicked to snatch a 35-34 victory for the Wallabies at Twickenham.
Australia now play Argentina in the semi-finals on Sunday following their close shave with an upset.
Photo: Reuters
The South African referee ran straight from the field after blowing the final whistle amid jeers from Scotland fans.
Former internationals labeled Joubert “a disgrace.”
Rugby’s watchdog rarely makes such damning verdicts public.
While the review committee called out the 37-year-old Joubert, it said he remains an “important” member of the referee team.
However, he was not named to officiate the semi-finals this weekend.
The Scottish Rugby Union said it would make no comment on the decision, indicating the storm was now over and the result should be left to stand.
With Scotland leading 34-32 in Sunday’s quarter-final, Joubert penalized Scotland’s Jon Welsh for offside for playing the ball following a knock-on by a teammate.
After reviewing television images, the committee said it was “clear” that after the knock-on, Australia’s Nick Phipps touched the ball and that a player can be put onside by an opponent who intentionally plays the ball.
“The appropriate decision, therefore, should have been a scrum to Australia for the original knock-on,” it said.
However, the six-member committee — headed by former Scotland flanker John Jeffrey — said that as no foul play had been involved, Joubert could not have referred the incident to the third match official and a television replay.
“Despite this experience, Craig has been and remains a world-class referee and an important member of our team,” World Rugby referees chief Joel Jutge said.
World Rugby and Australia coach Michael Cheika had defended Joubert before the review was released.
Joubert faced as much criticism for running from the field as he did for the decision.
“Maybe he was keen to get to the bathroom, who knows?” World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper told BBC radio.
“I’m sure as a referee he sensed a bit of hostility,” Gosper added. “When you have a hostile 82,000 people, for whatever reason, who knows how that affects behavior. Craig Joubert is a superb referee and has been for a long time and he’s a good man. There will be reasons for whatever Craig did.”
With European nations failing to get a team in the semi-finals, there was a storm of criticism in Britain.
“If I see referee Craig Joubert again, I am going to tell him how disgusted I am,” former Scotland great Gavin Hastings said. “It was disgraceful that he ran straight off the pitch at the end like that.”
Former England scrumhalf Matt Dawson, a World Cup-winner in 2003, said on Twitter: “Craig Joubert you are a disgrace and should never referee again!!”
“I don’t like the way that people are making something out of the way he ran off the field,” Cheika said. “He’s just a person like everyone else.”
Some media reported that a bottle was hurled at Joubert as he ran off.
“I don’t think it is funny,” Cheika said. “I’d be racing off too if I saw a bottle coming. I don’t think anything of him going off quickly. Maybe he was worried about something, maybe he got a word in his ear from the security guards of the tournament organizers to say we think you should leave the field, who knows?”
Scotland players stared at Joubert in disbelief as he left the field, and captain Greig Laidlaw said he had questioned Joubert several times about the penalty and pleaded with him to seek help from the television official.
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