The 8 man Sevens Game of the nZ

During the teams’ pool stage match on Saturday, it appeared as though the All Blacks Sevens side had eight players on the field as they scored a late try to level the match at 17-all.

According to Sky Sports, Joubert was the match referee and neither he, nor any of the other officials, noticed that the Kiwis fielded an extra player.

Following last Saturday’s incident in Sydney, World Rugby confirmed an investigation is underway into the lapse in officiating, but confirmed the result of the match would stand even though it was brought to their attention before Sunday's knockout stages began.

New Zealand went on to win the Sydney Sevens after scoring another stoppage-time try in the final against Australia.

As of Wednesday morning, World Rugby had given no indication of what punishment - if any - would be meted out to New Zealand.

With the match result to stand, a point deduction, fine and/or ban for coach Gordon Tietjens appears the most likely course of sanction.

Joubert copped heavy criticism during last year's Rugby World Cup when he awarded a controversial late penalty to Australia which enabled them to beat Scotland in the quarter-finals. World Rugby confirmed afterwards that Joubert had made a mistake.

Joubert also raised the ire of the Crusaders in the final of Super Rugby 2014 when he awarded the Waratahs an injury-time penalty which gave the Sydneysiders victory. Again, Joubert was forced to own up to the penalty being incorrect."

I gain the impression that Joubert is an excellent referee - with a weakness to give favourable decisions to home teams.  he copped some serious criticism in the WC final in 2011.   That was followed by his performance last year in the Super 15 final.  Although not a home game the decisionmaking in the Scotland game last year was also questionable.  

However, to expect that officials should be able to identify an eighth player in Sevens games is rubbish.   The officials watch the game and do not constantly count players.   In the previous case it happened in Las Vegas - there was a break in play and the referee and officials then found the extra NZ player on the field of play.   The extra player was then sent packing.

Insofar as the penalty for the offence is concerned - I think the team should lose 50% of the points they earned in the Tournament - and since  it is not the first time it happened - I think a ban for Tietjens  of at least six months - or for the rest of the  tournaments for the current year should be implemented.    There is no way that he did not know that there was an extra player on the field of ply - as was the case in Las Vegas.     

 ...notso clevermike, it's easy to deflect responsibility away from the officials adjudicating the match...

..but if the match officials ,( and there is three of them) aren't capable of the basics of the game then you have to question their competence refereeing at this level...

... you only have to look at the track record of the referee in question...

At a time when rugby is fighting a number of other codes for the entertainment dollar and preparing itself for a long-awaited return to the Olympics, World Rugby needs to step up and display the sort of leadership that at the moment is rather inconspicuous.

The lack of response from World Rugby to the past fortnight of Sevens tournaments is concerning, especially as their behaviour seems to give credence to their critics that the playing fields are not equal for all teams.

Two Sevens tournaments have gone by, both won by the All Blacks, and both shrouded in controversy.

First of all it needs to be said that Gordon Tietjens is a fine coach and has an abundance of talent in his team that certainly don’t need these controversies to take the shine off their performances.

But the way things have gone in the past few weeks has certainly raised more than a few eyebrows across the globe and created the impression that there is a different set of rules for the Kiwis.

Of course it could be purely coincidental, and there is no need to delve into conspiracy theories here, but it is more the way that World Rugby have reacted than what actually transpired that is the cause for concern.

Matt O’Brien’s performance in the final of the Wellington Sevens must rank as one of the poorest in Sevens history, but instead of action World Rugby went into overdrive on the defensive.

When an article appeared which stated that O’Brien had apologised to Bok coach Neil Powell, most of those across the globe saw it for what it was – a referee admitting he made mistakes. Show over, let’s move on.

But the next day World Rugby did their best to rubbish the story, despite the fact that the interview is on tape, saying Powell was misquoted.

What is concerning is not that they defended O’Brien, but the fact that the only thing that forced them into action was an article saying he admitted a mistake.

While World Rugby were quick to hang Craig Joubert out to dry for an error in the World Cup semifinal – an error that Joubert is not allowed to comment on, nor defend himself – they let O’Brien’s display slide.

You would think it is pretty obvious that with Sevens referee’s boss Paddy O’Brien being Matt’s dad, and having grown up a Kiwi, the conflict of interest and potential resulting fall-out should be avoided at all costs.

While my sources tell me O’Brien senior has little to do with the selection if Matt is involved (he literally leaves the room when Tappe Henning and Vinny Munro make the call), in the modern age with all the threats of sport betting and influencing results, there should be a game plan to handle such situations.

But all this wasn’t as serious as this weekend’s clash, where – and Australia’s Fox Sports video shows it clearly – New Zealand fielded eight players in the final pool match on day one.

All eight were involved in the final movement that led to the score-levelling try, but the result was allowed to stand and the Kiwis went on to win the competition.

The fact that no action was taken was bizarre in itself, and after the outcry World Rugby were forced to admit they were “investigating” the incident but that no comment would be given.

Whether this was a sideline blunder by officials or on purpose still needs to be determined, but it is clear New Zealand took advantage of the extra man and forced the draw. Australia’s defensive pattern may have been stretched normally, but with an extra man it is almost impossible to defend.

By letting the result stand, and only investigating it after the conclusion of the tournament, World Rugby have set a rather dangerous precedent - teams have the option to infringe now knowing that any investigation would only be handled after the conclusion of the tournament.

There is also a real danger that if World Rugby lets this slide, and takes no concrete action, it makes a mockery of the set of laws that are there to prevent teams having an unfair advantage.

The Olympics loom large and the very real prospect of officials influencing the result remains a massive concern for the rugby fraternity. Having fought so hard to join the Olympic family, the worst thing that can happen to Sevens is that another shocker determines who emerges as the Olympic champion.

Rugby as a worldwide sport needs World Rugby to show leadership here, to take bold steps and to be open, honest and accountable. It needs World Rugby to ensure that the playing field is level for all teams.

Rugby fans understand that mistakes are made. When they are consistently denied or repeated, it sours things.

The #NZ8s issue is a serious one, as is O’Brien’s performance. Both favoured the one team that gets more 50-50 calls their way than anyone else.

It is time that the world's governing body leads by example.

 ....the fact no action has been taken comes down to the fact that the referee in question who is equally responsible would have to be removed...simple as that..it wou'd've been career ending for Joubert so they've chosen to sweep it all under the carpet instead...