

The South African official’s decision to award Australia a late penalty, which they kicked to win the quarter-final 35-34, was controversial enough. But when he ran down the tunnel at full-time to a chorus of boos, without appearing to shake hands with the players, he raised the hackles of fans and pundits.
Former Scotland captain Gavin Hastings was scathing. “That is the worst thing I have seen on a rugby field in a long time,” Hastings told BBC Radio 5 live. “He is not prepared to face up to the players. That is not the spirit of rugby. He should be sent home tomorrow and he should not be allowed to make an international rugby commitment again.”
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Hide AdFormer Scotland winger Kenny Logan was also enraged. “Referees shouldn’t have a bad game when they’ve got a TMO,” he said. “It was never a penalty, it was a knock-on. At the end of the game, he ran down the tunnel like a scared rabbit. The performance from Scotland was different class. I’m absolutely devastated.”
Former England international Matt Dawson was also critical of Joubert’s sharp exit from the playing field. “It’s disrespectful to the game,” he said.