Referee Craig Joubert dishes out a penalty to the All Blacks during their 2011 World Cup final win over France at Eden Park.

Four years on from the All Blacks' nail-biting World Cup win, referee Craig Joubert has opened up on the pressures of dealing with a final that hung in the balance till the last whistle.

The South African says he embraced rather than feared the scrutiny that came with the All Blacks' dramatic 8-7 win at Eden Park.

The All Blacks resisted enormous second half pressure from the French to hold on for a second World Cup triumph at the same ground where they won the inaugural title in 1987.

That smallest of leads was under threat 15 minutes from the end when a scrum collapsed and Joubert awarded France a kickable penalty.

"The French had a good pack you know and they scrummed well in the final," Joubert told World Rugby TV in an interview in a series produced covering off referees who have controlled World Cup finals.

"They put a lot of pressure on the All Blacks scrum, I think it was about 38 metres out, and forced them back and I rewarded them for that dominance with a penalty.

"It was at this moment in the final that I knew that I had the courage to make a defining decision, if it was clear and obvious - and that was a clear and obvious decision - I was very comfortable to make it."

Francois Trinh-Duc's penalty attempt missed and the All Blacks held their nerve against the white tide.

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Joubert, who will officiate at next month's World Cup in England, said he took lessons from his 2011 performance as the post-match microscope went on the final where the French failed to turn their second half dominance into points.

French halfback Dimitri Yachvili, voiced his frustrations with an attack on Joubert after the final, saying: "The referee was under a lot of pressure. He did not want us to win. That said, I think New Zealand deserved their win because they are the best team in the world. They have shown that throughout the tournament."

Joubert took that on the chin at the time and was equally gracious in the just-released video interview.

"Like any other game, I did a self-review of the World Cup final, and I think what is important to know is that I'm not perfect. So of course there were learnings, of course there were things that I would do differently," Joubert said.

"But at the same time the real lesson I'll take out of that game was the realisation that, when you're in a big final and there's one point in it for the last half an hour to go, an enormous amount of scrutiny comes on every decision and every non-decision.

"One could fear the scrutiny or one could so want to be in that environment that you embrace it and accept it for what it is. I love being in the arena, I love the big occasion, I love the pressure that comes with that and I accept that scrutiny. I wouldn't give it up for the world."