Former Springbok lock Victor Matfield says last week’s Eden Park clash deserved a better referee than Karl Dickson.
The Englishman’s performance came under fire after South Africa’s 24-17 defeat, with ex-Bok captain Jean de Villiers citing a lack of consistency in SuperSport’s post-match analysis.
On Monday, Rassie Erasmus refused to criticise Dickson, saying the Boks would follow World Rugby protocol when questioning refereeing decisions.
WATCH: Rassie on ref’s performance
“The biggest games need the best referees, and unfortunately we didn’t get that,” said Matfield on the Rivals podcast. “New Zealand got away with two or three scrums in the first half where they dived or over-extended. First time Thomas du Toit’s knee touched the ground: penalty against us.
“On their box-kick ball they were on knees and elbows – off feet – that should be penalties. And late on: scrum penalty, then their backs offside – two in a row – that should be a yellow. That inconsistency is an issue.”
However, Matfield admitted the Boks were also to blame for the defeat while acknowledging that the All Blacks did well to exploit the world champions’ weaknesses.
“I looked at those first two tries and you have to give credit to the All Blacks coaches. Every defensive and lineout system has strengths and weaknesses, and they hit ours. Off the first lineout they went full lineout – they knew if they played first receiver, South Africa would rush and Willie [le Roux] would be isolated. Perfect kick by Beauden Barrett; Willie also slipped and the try was scored.
“On the second one, with the way South Africa defends – two pods at the back – you almost force the front ball. Malcolm Marx has to check the bailout at the front. If you go up at the back, that overthrow/inside ball is always the weakness. They planned it and it worked. Two planned moves based on how we defend.
“From there we got back into the game, but there were too many errors and the lineout was a big problem.”
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Matfield – one of the greatest-ever lineout operators – said it appeared the Boks were overthinking the set piece.
“New Zealand’s contesting at the lineout is so good – almost a ‘mirror’ where they don’t give you free ball. A lot of teams give the front ball. I’ve always been against that. Even if you don’t steal it, contest and pressure the delivery. If you can make 30-40% of the deliveries messy, you’re successful.
“At the moment I don’t think our plans going into games are good at lineout time. I think the callers are thinking too much about the play, and not, ‘Let’s win the ball first and play off that.’”
Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
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