Matfield questions breakdown interpretation

Veteran lock Victor Matfield is concerned about the refereeing of the breakdown after South Africa lost their second successive Tri-Nations match to New Zealand in Wellington yesterday.

Following last weekend's 32-12 loss at Eden Park, the Springboks were outclassed 31-17 and again appeared to come off second best in the tackle-ball area.

Matfield, his skipper John Smit and coach Pieter de Villiers were clearly unhappy with the way Irishmen Alan Lewis and Alain Rolland have policed that area in the past two Tests, where the All Blacks have been able to pilfer South African ball or at least disrupt it.

'I felt we couldn't get quick ball,' said Matfield. 'In the Super 14 they got the tackler away much quicker and that's not happening at the moment.

'But again we want to adapt to the referee and we didn't do it tonight. We've had them [northern hemisphere referees] two weeks now and in the Super 14 it was definitely quicker.'

De Villiers pulled no punches, calling for greater consistency.

'We have played six (Test matches this year) and in the six games we've had six different types of plays on the ground. It's frustrating,' he said.

'We've got the same skill we had last year when we won the Tri-Nations. We're so used to playing the new laws in the Super 14 and now in the six games we've played they are different.

'I don't like to prepare guys to cheat and it seems to me that's the only way going forward if you want to be on top of those kind of things. That's 70 percent of your game.'

Smit was more circumspect when asked how he felt about New Zealand captain Richie McCaw being warned several times but not shown a yellow card for repeated ruck infringements.

'I suppose if it had been my first year playing against the All Blacks I'd be surprised. But it's not my first year,' he replied.

Matfield believed that lack of quick ruck ball meant his side wasn't able to play the running rugby it had wanted to and was forced to resort again to the kick-chase game which ultimately proved fruitless.

'It's about creating quick ball and then you can play and you can keep the ball. At the moment if you don't create quick ball it's sometimes better to do the kicks.'

The big lock also lamented the fact that, for the second week in a row, the Springboks had been forced to play with 14 men after Danie Rossouw was sin-binned with less than four minutes gone at Westpac Stadium.

Rossouw was sent to cool his heels on the sidelines after feigning to knee McCaw when he was on the ground.

There appeared to be little in the incident but Rolland thought otherwise and sent a shocked Rossouw to the sinbin.

'Danie was very surprised by the yellow. He still doesn't know exactly what he did wrong. We'll have to have a look at it,' Matfield said.

Last week it was Bakkies Botha who was yellow carded, for a professional foul and not the head butt on Jimmy Cowan which resulted in a nine-week ban for the second rower.

Just like at Eden Park the All Blacks made the South Africans pay with Ma'a Nonu and Mils Muliaina scoring tries in Rossouw's absence to give them a healthy 10-point cushion.

'Against the All Blacks you can't play with 14 men, especially at the beginning,' a frustrated Matfield said. 'It gives them a lot of momentum. It gives them belief in the game and puts you under pressure.'

But the vice-captain was far happier with the set-piece after last weekend's disappointing effort in the line-out and scrum.

'I think both set pieces were very good tonight. On our lineouts we got a hundred (percent) and we poached three or four off them so that's back to normal and the scrums went very well,' he added.