A World Rugby statement has claimed that referee Craig Joubert was wrong to award a penalty to Australia in the closing stages of their dramatic World Cup quarter-final victory over Scotland.

Mark Bennett's converted try looked to be enough to hand Scotland a shock win at Twickenham, before Bernard Foley clinched a 35-34 win for the Wallabies with a last-minute penalty.

Joubert awarded the penalty for deliberate offside on Jon Welsh, despite replays suggesting that Australia's Nick Phipps touched the ball back to the Scotland prop, which means that the referee could have given a scrum instead.

"The selection committee confirms that Joubert applied World Rugby Law 11.7 penalising Scotland's Jon Welsh, who had played the ball following a knock-on by a team-mate, resulting in an offside," the statement read.

"On review of all available angles, it is clear that after the knock-on, the ball was touched by Australia's Nick Phipps and Law 11.3(c) states that a player can be put on-side by an opponent who intentionally plays the ball.

"It is important to clarify that, under the protocols, the referee could not refer to the television match official in this case and therefore had to rely on what he saw in real time. In this case, Law 11.3(c) should have been applied, putting Welsh onside. The appropriate decision, therefore, should have been a scrum to Australia for the original knock-on."

World Rugby have not yet announced whether Joubert will officiate another game in the tournament.