Australia 35 Scotland 34: Video shows referee Craig Joubert running away after final whistle
The South African official's late penalty call cost Scotland a place in the World Cup semi-finals
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Your support makes all the difference.There is little doubt who the most unpopular man in Scotland is today - Craig Joubert.
The South African referee robbed the Scots of a place in the Wold Cup semi-finals with his awarding of an incorrect penalty to Australia that Bernard Foley kicked to clinch a last-gasp 35-34 victory.
Having seized a 34-32 lead in the 74th minute through a converted Mark Bennett try, Scotland were left shattered when Joubert penalised replacement prop Jon Welsh for offside and Foley obliged with the three points.
Already infuriated with the penalty decision, Joubert angered Scotland, their fans and just about everyone watching the match even more when at the final whistle he hastily left the pitch.
Watch Joubert make his exit below...
@lightmasF1 pic.twitter.com/tEIjWDkyjc
— Andy P (@andyp64) October 18, 2015
Here's how people reacted...
Scotland great Gavin Hastings: "If I see referee Craig Joubert again, I am going to tell him how disgusted I am. It was disgraceful that he ran straight off the pitch at the end like that."
Former England scrum-half Matt Dawson: "Craig Joubert you are a disgrace and should never referee again!! How dare you sprint off the pitch after that decision!!!"
Dejected Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw, who kicked 19 points, highlighted Joubert's uncertainty when making the decision that denied the RBS 6 Nations representation in the semi-finals for the first time in World Cup history.
"I asked Joubert (about the penalty) on several occasions. I'm not sure what the protocols are," Laidlaw said.
"I think you can see from the way he was taking his time....he was certainly having a look at the big screen and wasn't sure himself.
"And then he made a sharp exit at the end of the game, that's for sure. I never got a chance to speak to him after the game, he was off that quick.
"It looked like to me that it hit Nick Phipps and it went back and then another player caught it. I've not had a chance to look at it on the TV, but at the time I thought there was an Aussie arm. But we're not the type of people to blame the little things."
World Rugby responded to dismay over why the TMO was not consulted by stating that the technology can only be used for the act of scoring a try or an act of foul play.
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