Scotland were denied a shock victory over Australia by a controversial decision from Craig Joubert, the referee, in the final minute of a pulsating World Cup quarter-final at Twickenham.
Joubert awarded Australia a penalty kick for John Welsh playing the ball in an offside position, but replays on the big screens in the stadium showed that the ball had come off Nick Phipps, the Wallabies’ replacement scrum half.
The Scotland players pointed up to the screens, begging Joubert to refer the decision, but he refused and Bernard Foley landed the penalty goal that edged the Wallabies into the semi-finals.
Joubert sprinted from the field as soon as he had sounded the final whistle, a decision that was described as “despicable” by Gavin Hastings, the former Scotland captain. “I am disgusted by him and if I see him again I will tell him,” Hastings said. “He has let the game down.”
Greig Laidlaw, the Scotland captain, questioned why Joubert did not go to the television match official. It was heartbreaking for Scotland and a sour way for a splendid game of rugby to end.
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The Scots were two minutes from their first semi-final appearance in 24 years; two minutes from their biggest victory since they won the Five Nations title in 1999, possibly longer. Instead, the Wallabies completed a southern hemisphere sweep of the semi-finals.
Vern Cotter, the head coach, waited until an hour before kick-off to confirm that Jonny Gray and Ross Ford would both start, having had three-week suspensions overturned in an appeal hearing held after the original team was announced.
While Scotland were stronger than they had planned for, Australia were weakened by the loss of David Pocock and Israel Folau to injury but they did not lack experience, with Matt Giteau and Stephen Moore, the captain, both winning their 100th international caps.
It was one-way traffic in the early stages. Cotter’s side defended well, forcing two turnovers, but they had no field position and it seemed inevitable that Australia would take the lead.
They missed one golden chance when Foley stepped inside the drifting the defence, as he did against England, and tried to offload the ball to Drew Mitchell instead of reaching for the line in the tackle but the ball was knocked on.
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Australia came again, went through the phases before spinning the ball wide. Tommy Seymour raced out of the line to close down Tevita Kuridrani but he was brushed off and Adam Ashley-Cooper scored the try.
Scotland responded with character as Richie Gray, Dave Denton and Blair Cowan crashed the ball into the Australia 22 and Laidlaw kicked the penalty goal. Scotland then took the lead with Denton again leading the charge.
Sean Maitland, WP Nel and Cowan edged deeper into Australian territory, with Laidlaw fizzing around, before Peter Horne picked up from an unguarded ruck and darted over the line for the try.
Foley then dropped the kick-off, the Scotland scrum won penalty and Laidlaw’s kick made it 13 points in seven minutes; a golden period for Scotland.
Australia ended it when their tight forwards pounded away at the gain-line, earning chunks of territory each time they carried before the ball was moved wide left, outside of the Scotland defence, and Drew Mitchell raced over to score.
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Scotland’s scrum earned another penalty, which Laidlaw kicked, before Australia took a bold call and turned down a shot at goal to kick for the corner. It paid off as the Wallabies drove the lineout and Michael Hooper touched down under a pile of bodies.
Foley’s third missed conversion ensured Scotland led 16-15 at the interval but the Wallabies scored again two minutes into the second period.
Sean Maitland was controversially sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on and the Wallabies exploited his absence, driving a lineout and then attacking down Scotland’s right wing with Mitchell diving over for his second try.
Laidlaw kept his side in touch with a fourth penalty goal, earned again by his scrum, but Scotland made a hash of the restart, where a loose pass under pressure ended with a Wallaby lineout five metres out.
Australia worked a huge overlap on the right but Ashley-Cooper’s try was chalked off for a slight knock-on inside the ruck from Will Genia. It was a mighty let-off for the Scots, but they slipped further behind when Foley landed a penalty goal.
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Cotter’s men regained their footing with Fraser Brown, the replacement hooker, winning a turnover and Scotland counter-attacked through Hogg and Denton. Finn Russell charged down Foley’s kick and popped a pass of the floor to Seymour for the try.
Australia, though, just kept coming. Hogg halted Ashley-Cooper with a try-saving tackle but Scotland lost their own lineout and Tevita Kuridrani powered between John Hardie and Laidlaw to score the Wallabies’ fifth try.
The Scots, eight points behind, had to chance their arm. They kicked a penalty for touch, drove it and attacked. They ran out of numbers but the Wallabies were offside and Laidlaw kicked the points. With ten minutes remaining there were five points in it.
The rain began to fall heavily and the Scotland supporters roared, seeing it as an omen. They were right. Mark Bennett read James Slipper’s delayed pass, pounced to claim the interception and scored under the posts. The conversion nudged Scotland back into the lead – but then Joubert made his call and the Wallabies won.