First off congratulations to Scotland and to Australia for providing all rugby fans with a magnificent spectacle. The Scots played beautifully, really attacking the Wallabies. There were already signs in the 6 nations this spring that Scotland had some talented players, despite the disappointment of the wooden spoon, but Vern Cotter has really shown us what a difference a top drawer coach can make; the 2016 6 nations promises to be an enthralling contest.
The decision to award the penalty at the end was not unreasonable, there was what appeared to be a clear offside; the ref did not see that the ball was touched by Aussie player Nick Phipps before Jon Welsh caught it, so yes, technically it should have been a scrum and not a penalty. However.....all the bleating that it should have gone to the TMO ignores the fact that the protocols governing their use for the world cup do not allow the ref to call on it in these circumstances. What you have to ask is "Was the decision reasonable in view of what the ref had seen". Answer "Yes". For sure, its heartbreaking for Scotland and the fans, but that's life.
It is in the nature of refereeing. Those of us who love sport should respect the referees and their decisions, and not hound them when they get it wrong.
One of the things I've always liked about Rugby is the respect shown to match officials, and the absence of the general moaning about refereeing decisions that is so prevalent in the so-called "beautiful game". I'm appalled by some of the stuff I've read about Craig Joubert, and I really hope that tradition isn't going to change.
