The Scottish Daily Mail has revealed why Craig Joubert ran straight off the field at the end of Sunday's quarter-final.

With two minutes to go in the match, Joubert controversially penalised Scotland for accident offside, with Bernard Foley's penalty goal giving the Wallabies a 35-34 win.

After blowing for full-time, the referee ran off the field without shaking hands with the players or waiting for his assistant referees.

Brett Gosper, World Rugby's chief executive, joked that Joubert may have 'needed the bathroom', but the Daily Mail understands Joubert told his employers that he sensed the potential for angry scenes on the pitch in front of a huge global audience, so he left quickly to defuse the situation.

World Rugby has since clarified that Joubert should have awarded a scrum, and not a penalty, for the incident.

Joubert, however, was unable to refer it to the TMO because World Rugby protocol only allows it for a try-scoring situation or for suspected incidents of foul play.