76 cap Australia ace who broke Scottish hearts at 2015 Rugby World Cup retires
The former Waratahs fly half most recently played with Japanese side Kubota Spears
Former Australia international fly half Bernard Foley has announced his retirement from professional rugby at the age of 36.
The Sydney native, who made over 100 appearances for the New South Wales Waratahs, most recently played with Japanese side Kubota Spears. He was capped 76 times by the Wallabies and played a two Rugby World Cups.
Scotland fans will probably best remember him as the player who kicked the decisive penalty in their World Cup quarter-final clash back in 2015. Vern Cotter’s side were ahead 34-32 when Foley, who had already nailed one penalty and two conversions, slotted the decisive kick in the 79th minute to make the score 35-34 and send his team through.
Australia 35-34 Scotland - 2015 Rugby World Cup quarter final and Craig Joubert controversy
They would go on to beat Argentina in the semi-finals before losing 34-17 to New Zealand in the final which Foley also started in the 10 jersey. Of course, while it was the ex rugby sevens star who kicked the points, the last eight clash between Scotland and the Wallabies lives on in infamy due to the events that led to the winning penalty.
Heavy rain at Twickenham that day made for difficult line out conditions and a loose throw saw the ball come forward off flanker John Hardie and into the arms of replacement prop John Welsh. Under the laws of the game at the time, South African referee Craig Joubert was correct in awarding the penalty to Australia for ‘deliberate offside’.
However, replays showed that the ball had in fact come backward off Wallabies replacement scrum half Nick Phipps which meant a penalty was not the correct call. Despite this, TMO protocols at the time prevented Joubert from referring to the video, meaning the initial decision stood despite being incorrect.
The referee was criticised further after sprinting off the field of play and down the tunnel at full time, refusing to acknowledge any of the players. The incident was a hot topic in world rugby for months afterwards and remains one of the sorest memories for Scottish supporters to look back on.
"It's a penalty and that's the way it works,” Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika said at the time. “All credit to Scotland, it was a great game and we just had to get through it somehow. We got the job done, we got five tries and we'll enjoy moving on."
Bernard Foley hangs up boots after memorable club and international career
As for Foley, he went on to have a distinguished career and was capped 76 times in total by his country. He scored an impressive 673 points at Test level and left the 2015 Rugby World Cup with a runners-up medal.
He will go down as an iconic figure in the history of the New South Wales Warratahs, kicking them to the 2014 Super Rugby championship. Throughout his nine years at the Sydney Football Stadium he scored over 100 points for the team.
Foley also won the 2015 Rugby Championship with Australia and picked up two runners-up medals in that competition. Since 2020 he had been signed with Kubota Spears in Japan.
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