Referee Craig Joubert has spoken about the infamous decision that effectively cost Scotland a place in the 2015 Rugby World Cup semi finals, saying that he made an honest mistake, but under protocol he had no way of referring to the TMO for help.
It was heartbreaking to watch at the time, even for neutrals, as Joubert made a crucial penalty decision in very tricky conditions, without the help of the ‘available’ technology.
It meant that Australia had a chance of taking the lead in the match and advancing to the semi final, which they did via a successful Bernard Foley kick.
As the Wallabies celebrated the dramatic 35-34 victory at the final whistle, Joubert made matters worse as he ran from the field, engraging Scottish players and fans. That led to an investigation.
In April of this year Joubert spoke to the Telegraph to explain his reasoning, stating that he wanted to avoid any possible ugly confrontation on the field, in full view of the public.
Despite the protocols that prevented him from checking with the TMO being theirs, World Rugby took the quite unprecedented step of publicly stating that Joubert got the decision wrong.
Now eight months after that extremely unfortunate night, Joubert is still being asked about it, this time by the same people that hung him out to dry post match, his employers.
The 2011 Rugby World Cup final referee – another story altogether – has now opened up, saying that the entire incident led to a ‘very difficult time in my career’.
It will be scant consolation for Scottish fans though, who will never forget what could have been a famous day in their history. Instead, what was actually a classic knockout match, was remembered for it’s unsavoury ending. Hit play below to see what Joubert had to say about it.
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