RWC 2015: Six things we learnt - Referees will never be 100% right, All Blacks banish memories and Argentina need a British and Irish Lions tour

The gulf between hemispheres is not as big as it looks, how the power of the World Cup united the home nations and France finally conform to a team in disarray

Referee Craig Joubert gives Sean Maitland a yellow card during Scotland's defeat to Australia (Getty Images)

Referees will never get everything right even with TMO help

Scotland are fuming with Craig Joubert’s performance throughout the painful 35-34 defeat to Australia in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, but the consistent factor in disputable decisions remains the referees input. Much like we’ve seen in football, referees will never get all of their decisions right 100 per cent of the time – it’s simply not possible.

Rugby union is a confusing game. A 20-year veteran of the sport will struggle to explain the rules to a newcomer, and when they finally get the hang of it, World Rugby like to change them. Therefore, a team of three match officials plus a man with access to replays should be getting the majority of decisions right, but there will always be a few open to interpretation, much like that in Twickenham on Sunday night.

In order to achieve the right call, journalists were scrambling for the rule book, analysing replays and discussing how different players and their intentions affected the play. It would have taken an age for Joubert and the TMO Ben Skeen to come up with the right decision – and rugby union is slow enough already.

Injuries to blame for Northern Hemisphere failure – not gulf in class

The immediate fallout of four Southern Hemisphere teams reaching the World Cup semi-finals has been one of concern and alarm on these shores, with many quick to give their reasoning by the Northern Hemisphere sides have failed.

But this is a rash reaction that could have been ever so different had injuries not hit both Wales and Ireland. The Welsh have been crippled by withdrawals, with seven key players ruled out of the tournament while another two in Dan Biggar and Scott Baldwin were forced off during the last-gasp defeat to South Africa. Meanwhile, Ireland lost the huge influential Paul O’Connell, Jonthan Sexton and Peter O’Mahony to injury, while Sean O’Brien was suspended and Tommy Bowe was forced off early in the 43-20 defeat to Argentina.

Had these players been fit and available, half of the teams left in the semi-final may well have hailed from the Northern Hemisphere, while there’s also genuine reason to believe Scotland could have made it had a crucial decision gone their way.

Six Nations united by the power of the Rugby World Cup

While the bulk of the crowd at Twickenham on Sunday were made up of Australians and Scots, there was a good deal of English in the crowd too. The thought of England supporting Scotland – and Wales the day before – would be foreign to most wearing the red rose, but they were all on their feet and cheering when Mark Bennett intercepted a woeful James Slipper pass and sprinted in under the posts.

Twickenham erupted and for a minute or two Scotland believed. But it wasn’t to be, and the genuine disappointment among English fans who had adopted the Dark Blues as their second team for the day showed how the World Cup still has the power to unite countries rarely seen.

France finally prove to be a team in disarray

All the talk heading into New Zealand’s quarter-final with France was whether Les Blues could rekindle their fighting spirit and pull off another upset on the scale of their 1999 and 2007 successes. Yet no one does self-implosion like the French. They were blown off the park in the final Six Nations clash with England that saw them finish fourth for the third time in four years – they finished last in 2013 – and heading into the clash with the All Blacks there were reports that the squad had “discreetly dismissed” Philippe Saint-Andre as their head coach in a player mutiny.

All of this looked to be the perfect ingredients for an incredible French victory, yet for once they conformed to reality and got an absolute trouncing in one of the best All Black showings ever seen. Guy Noves has already been appointed as the man to take French rugby back to where they belong, but until they get the nation together as one – players, coach and supporters – they have no chance of success any time soon.

When did booing become part of rugby?

The Scottish were clearly angry with the Joubert’s decision, and his swift exit down the tunnel prevented any further abuse being sent his way. Yet it felt somewhat disappointing to see a number of fans boo the Australian side after the match. It wasn’t their fault, in fact they had done what was expected of them – win the game.

The jeers are becoming more regular though. Warren Gatland got a tidal wave of boos every time his face appeared on the big screen during the England v Wales match – which explained his ear-to-ear grin at the full-time whistle – while booing kickers continues to creep into the game. A World Cup does ramp up the tensions given what can be on the line, but rugby union must stay true to its values in order to separate itself from other sports, otherwise it risks becoming a hooligans game played by gentleman yet supported by rowdy and disrespectful fans.

Argentina proved they’re not a one trick pony – so include them in a British and Irish Lions tour

2007 certainly felt like Argentina’s coming of age when they finished third in the Rugby World Cup, and it came two years after they gave Sir Clive Woodward’s British and Irish Lions side a warning of what was to come when they drew 25-25 in a tour warm-up encounter. The Southern Hemisphere has taken note of the nation’s improvement, and has followed up on their Rugby Championship inclusion by handing them a Super Rugby franchise to continue to build the game in South America.

So why haven’t the Lions returned? It seems somewhat arrogant to claim the Pumas couldn’t give the Lions a run for their money, and their quarter-final victory over Ireland comes just two months after they beat South Africa in the Rugby Championship. A semi-final victory over Australia – very possible given Scotland’s performance against them this weekend – would certainly add more wait to a British and Irish Lions Tour of Argentina that could include the United States and Canada too.