Australia’s Bernard Foley, centre, prepares to kick the match winning penalty
With a monumental upset seemingly only seconds away, referee Craig Joubert blew his whistle and awarded a penalty against Scotland, Europe’s last remaining hope in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.
Bernard Foley then calmly guided his place kick between the uprights to give Australia a 35-34 win in a match it had been expected to dominate to complete the set of southern hemisphere semifinalists following weekend wins by New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina over northern hemisphere rivals.
The thunderous booing echoing around Twickenham drowned out the standing ovation that Scotland deserved. Joubert departed hastily, sparking savage criticism from fans on social media and former test players including Scotland great Gavin Hastings.
It was that kind of week for the Scotland team, which had been given very little chance of beating the Wallabies. Scotland placed last in the Six Nations, and only narrowly held off Samoa last weekend to secure second spot in Pool B. Forwards Ross Ford and Jonny Gray were banned for three weeks for a dangerous tackle against Samoa, but reinstated at the last minute after winning appeals.
A second-half yellow card for winger Sean Maitland for a 50-50 decision on a deliberate knock-on — ruled on by the television match official — was also costly.
“It’s very hard to take. It’s a very upset dressing room,” said Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw, who kicked 19 points. “We were one kick away from being in the semifinals and arguably we should have been there.” John Pye, AP
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