Following their surprisingly forthright admission that Craig Joubert got it wrong when he awarded that late penalty to Australia on Sunday, World Rugby have been accused of throwing their official under a bus.
In their statement, World Rugby wrote that 'on review of all available angles' they determined that it was Australia's scrum half Nick Phipps who touched the ball thus meaning Scotland weren't offside.
They said the appropriate decision would have been a scrum to Australia following the knock on at the lineout.
Michael Cheika is not impressed by the statement. He fell back on a Cody-esque strategy of dealing with a late controversial call in his team's favour. This entails sarcastically asking whether we are going to draw up a list of all mistakes made by referees during the game.
I’d like my mates to back me up a bit more on the odd occasion.
I do really feel sorry for (Craig). I suppose we will start accumulating the list (of mistakes) and send it in after every game. That’s what I think about that.
And this is all I want to say about this: You talk about having the right principles in the game and all of that. From some of the commentary that’s been on about Craig Joubert, and also the way that’s been handled, I don’t know, let’s make a list.
Are the Samoans putting in a list about the little knock on before the try that Scotland scored at the end? I don’t know how many more of the list we can send in.
If they are going to review them all we’ll start making the list.
It’s a bit surprising because no other decision has been reviewed, has it?
[Irish Times]
After a ferocious pummelling from the media and ex-players over the past couple of days, contrarian voices are emerging in defence of the beleaguered ref.
In the game's immediate aftermath, Matt Dawson and Gavin Hastings castigated Joubert for, among other things, not referring the matter to the TMO, a course of action he wasn't legally allowed to take.
The stance of Lawrence Dallaglio has been more measured, while combative ex-hooker Brian Moore is merely curious of the number of the bus under which Joubert was thrown.
I am not terribly impressed with some of the comments aimed towards Craig Joubert. By rugby players, mostly former. You don’t need to say that. He knows he has made a mistake, we know he has made a mistake and it has cost Scotland a place in the semi-final.
Basically, World Rugby have publicly hung Craig Joubert out to dry after looking at the video replays which he wasn't allowed to look at!
— Simon Thomas (@simonrug) October 19, 2015
To @SportsBreakfast where we being asking what number was the bus under which @WorldRugby threw referee Craig Joubert. — Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) October 20, 2015
Joubert had split second to make decision, review panel had hours & many angles. Shame on @WorldRugby hanging their officials out to dry.
— Killian Byrne (@killianbyrne) October 19, 2015
