Craig Joubert
![]() Joubert in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Birth name | Craig Paul Joubert | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 8 November 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Durban, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Maritzburg College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | University of Natal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Craig Paul Joubert (born 8 November 1977) is a South African professional rugby union referee and a Referee Talent Development Coach at World Rugby.
Joubert officiated in domestic first class matches in South Africa since 2003, in matches in the
Joubert took charge of Super Rugby finals in 2010, 2013 and 2014 and has officiated in Tri-Nations / Rugby Championship matches since 2009, refereeing matches between Australia and New Zealand in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. In the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Joubert refereed four pool games, a quarter-final, a semi-final and the final. He refereed the deciding Six Nations match in 2012 and one of the British & Irish Lions games on their tour to Australia in 2013.
He took part in four pool games at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the quarter-final match between Scotland and Australia. During that quarter-final, he was criticised for incorrectly awarding a penalty to Australia in the final minutes of the match and for rushing off the field at the end of the match.
He retired from refereeing 15-a-side matches at the end of 2016 to take up a role as a Referee Talent Development Coach at World Rugby.
Early career
Joubert was born in 1977 and attended Maritzburg College and then the University of Natal to study business finance.[1] Joubert took up refereeing in 1995 as a teenager, when he was encouraged to do so by his father Des, who was also a referee at provincial level.[2] He initially worked in corporate banking for a period of five years,[3] before deciding to take up full-time refereeing, becoming a member of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Rugby Referees' Society.
2003–05
In 2003, Joubert officiated in several first class matches in domestic South African competitions, appearing in the
After the domestic season, Joubert joined the
He officiated his first test match in June 2005, when he took charge of a match between the
2006–11
He refereed a further five matches in the
After taking charge of seven matches in the 2009 Super 14 season, he refereed the British & Irish Lions' match against the Golden Lions during their tour of South Africa.[15] He took charge of both matches between New Zealand and Australia hosted in New Zealand in the 2009 Tri Nations Series,[16][17] as well as the 2009 Currie Cup First Division final between the Pumas and the SWD Eagles.[18]
In 2010, Joubert was in charge of several
He refereed several matches during the 2011 Super Rugby season, including the semi-final match between the Stormers and the Crusaders in Cape Town.[22] He also had a further appearance in the 2011 Tri Nations Series, officiating the New Zealand versus Australia match in Auckland.[23]
2011 Rugby World Cup
He was named on the refereeing panel for the
2012–15
In 2012, Joubert took charge of the 2012 Six Nations Championship match – and Grand Slam decider – between Wales and France[32] and was also involved in the very start of the 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying tournament, as he officiated the first match between Mexico and Jamaica in the Americas qualification tournament.[33]
He again officiated during the

After officiating in seven matches during the
He officiated fifteen matches in the 2014 Super Rugby season, which included his second consecutive final as the Waratahs hosted the Crusaders in Sydney,[43] where again he come under criticism for a late penalty he awarded in favour of the Waratahs giving them the win. The following day Joubert contacted both Crusaders Coach Todd Blackadder and Crusaders Captain Richie McCaw to apologise, announcing to both that he got the final call wrong.[44] Joubert officiated the Argentina versus New Zealand match in the 2014 Rugby Championship in La Plata.[45] He refereed several matches in the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division, including the final between Western Province and the Golden Lions.[46]
At the conclusion of the
2015 Rugby World Cup
He was named on the refereeing panel of the
2016
After his spell officiating in the 2015–16 World Rugby Sevens Series, Joubert was included on the list of referees that would take charge in the Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[60] He also remained active in the fifteen-man version of the sport, officiating in the 2016 Super Rugby season. In May 2016, he was appointed to officiate the Bulls versus Lions match, his 100th appearance in the competition.[61]
He retired from refereeing 15-a-side matches at the end of 2016 to take up a role as a Referee Talent Development Coach at
References
- ^ "Craig Joubert | Rugby Union | Players and Officials". espnscrum.com. ESPN Scrum. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ a b "Joubert's dream finally realised". IOL Sport. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Craig Joubert | Rugby Union | Players and Officials". espn.co.uk. ESPN Scrum. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Boland 21–31 Lions". South African Rugby Union. 27 March 2003. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – @lantic Pumas 35–46 Spoornet Bulldogs". South African Rugby Union. 15 April 2003. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Griffons 42–40 Leopards". South African Rugby Union. 4 June 2003. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Spoornet Bulldogs 19–43 Mighty Elephants". South African Rugby Union. 1 August 2003. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Nashua Griquas 31–22 @lantic Pumas". South African Rugby Union. 3 October 2003. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Waratahs 25–7 Chiefs". South African Rugby Union. 25 February 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Waratahs 27–33 Crusaders". South African Rugby Union. 2 April 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Highlanders 20–41 Waratahs". South African Rugby Union. 30 April 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – AMD Valke 16–25 @lantic Pumas". South African Rugby Union. 14 October 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Bulls 46–17 Cats". South African Rugby Union. 22 April 2006. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Boland Kavaliers 42–50 Griffons". South African Rugby Union. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Xerox Golden Lions 10–74 British & Irish Lions". South African Rugby Union. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – New Zealand 22–16 Australia". South African Rugby Union. 18 July 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – New Zealand 33–6 Australia". South African Rugby Union. 19 September 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Pumas 47–19 SWD". South African Rugby Union. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Bulls 25–17 Vodacom Stormers". South African Rugby Union. 29 May 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Australia 28–49 New Zealand". South African Rugby Union. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Sharks 30–10 Vodacom Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 30 October 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Stormers 10–29 Crusaders". South African Rugby Union. 2 July 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – New Zealand 30–14 Australia". South African Rugby Union. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "RWC 2011 Selection" (PDF). International Rugby Board. 6 April 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Ireland 10–22 Wales". South African Rugby Union. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- International Rugby Board. 17 October 2011. Archived from the originalon 19 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – New Zealand 8–7 France". South African Rugby Union. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup final: Dimitri Yachvili points finger at the referee". Guardian. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Furious French hit out at Joubert". espn.co.uk. ESPN. 23 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ Thornley, Gerry (22 October 2011), Joubert's Indulgence a Huge Factor for All Blacks, The Irish Times, retrieved 21 October 2015
- ^ "Clive Woodward: Ref robbed France of 2011 World Cup". nzherald.co.nz. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ "Six Nations: Wales 16-9 France". BBC. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Mexico v Jamaica - Match - 2015 Rugby World Cup Qualifier 2015 - March 24th, 2012". ESPN. 24 March 2012. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Chiefs 20–17 Crusaders". South African Rugby Union. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Argentina 19–25 Australia". South African Rugby Union. 7 October 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Eastern Province Kings 6–16 Toyota Free State Cheetahs". South African Rugby Union. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Samoa 39–10 Italy". South African Rugby Union. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Australia vs British and Irish Lions - Match - British and Irish Lions tour 2013 - June 29th, 2013". ESPN. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Bulls 23–26 Brumbies". South African Rugby Union. 27 July 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Chiefs 27–22 Brumbies". South African Rugby Union. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Australia 29–47 New Zealand". South African Rugby Union. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Steval Pumas 33–15 GWK Griquas". South African Rugby Union. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Waratahs 33–32 Crusaders". South African Rugby Union. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Referee Joubert also apologizes to the Crusaders". RugbyTalk.com. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Argentina 13–34 New Zealand". South African Rugby Union. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 19–16 Xerox Golden Lions". South African Rugby Union. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Joubert to join sevens next season". World Rugby. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Match officials announced for Rugby World Cup 2015". World Rugby. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup 2015: Australia beat Scotland in final minute". BBC. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Michael Cheika: Rugby World Cup referee Craig Joubert treated unfairly". Irish Examiner. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "World Rugby admit that Craig Joubert's decision to award a last minute penalty to Australia was incorrect". The Daily Telegraph. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup: Scotland's Greig Laidlaw unhappy with final penalty in quarter-final loss to Wallabies". ABC News. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ Howson, Nick (18 October 2015). "Rugby World Cup 2015: Scotland demanded referee Craig Joubert consult with TMO over offside decision during Australia defeat". International Business Times. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ "Australia 35 Scotland 34: World Rugby confirms Craig Joubert right not to consult with TMO". The Daily Telegraph. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ "World Rugby Statement: Match officials' performance review (Australia v Scotland)". World Rugby. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ "Craig Joubert treatment unfair - Cheika". BBC. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "World Rugby condemned over treatment of blunder ref Craig Joubert". Irish Independent. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Australia-Scotland: Referee Joubert branded a disgrace". ESPN. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ "Michael Cheika says Craig Joubert was right to run off at Twickenham". Sky Sports. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "World Cup referee Craig Joubert heads officials list for Olympic rugby". ESPN. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "Joubert strikes Vodacom Super Rugby 100 mark". South African Rugby Union. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- ^ "Joubert takes "dream job" with World Rugby" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
External links
- Craig Joubert at ESPNscrum