Monday 19 October 2015 21:06, UK
Dewi Morris says Craig Joubert was right not to refer his decision to the TMO, even if the wrong decision was made.
My heart goes out to the Scottish fans; if that was an England loss it would have been very tough to take, but that's sport.
In the cold light of day, with the dust settled, it's easy to see why the Scottish fans feel a sense of injustice, but protocol dictates that Joubert was not allowed to refer that decision so he made the right call to back himself.
He saw it in real time, he thought the ball came forward off a Scottish player and was then played by another. He didn't have the benefit of replays in slow motion like the rest of us.
Some will say that protocol shouldn't have been followed, and that with such a big moment riding on the call, Joubert should have disregarded orders and asked for the TMO to take a look at it. There's a good chance that if that decision had been sent to the TMO Scotland would have gone through, but where do you draw the line?
Although these decisions are tough to take, if we want a game of rugby that flows, we have to accept there is an element of human error to contend with.
Imagine what scrums would look like. Every time the two sides pack down there are 16 forwards and two scrum-halves all trying to get the upper hand on their opponents, sometimes not legally, so would we have to go back to check on every scrum?
You'd be going back to check for the props' binding, making sure they were scrumming straight, double-checking that the scrum-halves were onside and the flankers stayed bound - it would never end. The game would stop for five minutes every time.
If we don't want a sterile game with constant stoppages we have to accept that human error will always have a part in it.
Unfortunately for Scotland their particular decision arrived at a time and place where it ultimately ended up in a loss in the dying seconds. However, although these decisions are tough to take, if we want a game of rugby that flows, we have to accept there is an element of human error to contend with.
I would never choose to be a referee. It is one of the most thankless tasks for the amount of pressure they contend with. Look at how much scrutiny they are under. Scotland failed to secure the lineout, which led to the ball jumping between the players, but little has been made of that fact - the general focus from Scotland's loss is on Joubert.
The majority of referees do an absolutely brilliant job. They have both sets of players chattering in their ear trying to influence their decisions but they have to remain calm and rational.
Add to that the wealth of former players who have weighed in and given their opinion on Joubert, and it's a pretty lonely place in the referee's changing room after a game.
People are entitled to have their say, and haven't they all cashed in on that! I'm not on Twitter, or any social media for that matter, but from what I've read in articles that have been collecting the tweets, there have been some damning reactions to Joubert's performance.
Criticism like that used to take place in a rugby clubhouse with a pint and a pie, but these days people have real-time access to the media and as a result the raw emotions are on show.
Cheika said after the game that Scotland needed to move on. "It is what it is and you just deal with it," he said.
It may have been tougher for him to follow that advice had the decision been reversed, but ultimately rugby fans have little choice but to deal with it, unless they want games that last three hours and a robot in the middle instead of a referee.
