Scotland were furious with referee Craig Joubert for awarding the decisive final penalty in their quarter-final with Australia without consulting the TMO – but it has emerged World Rugby rules would not have allowed him to check with the video official.
Joubert was heavily criticised on social media, by Scotland captain Greg Laidlaw and ITV’s expert panel for not checking the final call with the TMO after he ruled Jon Welsh was offside when picking up a loose ball that the official had thought came off Josh Strauss.
Joubert thought the ball had come off Strauss (far right) when the final touch was actually off Phipps (back)
Replays suggested Australian scrum-half Nick Phipps had the last touch, meaning no offence had been committed.
But World Rugby have confirmed that Joubert – who sprinted off the pitch at full-time without shaking hands with any of the players – could not have consulted with the TMO about the decision.
