Michael Cheika has bristled at what he feels is the unfair and personal way in which World Rugby has thrown referee Craig Joubert to the dogs in the wake of Australia’s World Cup win over Scotland.
Their quarter-final was decided when Joubert gave Australia judged Scotland’s Jon Welch to be offside and Bernard Foley kicked the resulting penalty to give the Wallabies a 35-34 victory.
The decision enraged the Scottish camp, and was made worse when Joubert scampered off the field at the final whistle, a move which was branded ‘disrespectful’ by former England player Matt Dawson, while Scotland legend Gavin Hastings demanded Joubert be sent home from the World Cup in disgrace.
The controversy seemed set to die down yesterday until World Rugby publicly admitted that the South African official had made the wrong decision.
It’s certainly an unusual move for rugby authorities to deliver post-game assessments of key refereeing decisions and Wallabies coach Cheika is disappointed with the way Joubert has been singled out.
“I genuinely feel for the referee,” the former Leinster boss is quoted in the Irish Times. “It’s so unfair. No other referee has had his stuff put out there like that. Craig Joubert is a very good referee.”
“I’d like my mates to back me up a bit more on the odd occasion.
“It’s a bit surprising because no other decision has been reviewed, has it? Genuinely, I’ve never seen that before. I’m not sure why that decision had to be publicly reviewed. I really hope his fellow referees stand by him.”
