All Blacks head coach Ian Foster says there needs to be a future "debate" around the volume of red cards in rugby.
His side's discipline proved costly in last week's 23-12 second Test defeat to Ireland in Dunedin, with replacement prop Angus Ta'avao red carded in the first half of the game for a dangerous tackle on Ireland's Garry Ringrose, while Leicester Fainga'anuku was also shown a yellow card for making contact with the head of Mack Hansen.
Ta'avao will miss this week's final Test having been suspended for three weeks, while Ringrose is also absent for Ireland due to the concussed sustained by the head-high hit.
The All Blacks have struggled with discipline in the opening two Tests, receiving four cards in total, with two of those for dangerous play.
And while Foster acknowledged the need for player welfare, he said he wants to see a "decent" debate around the prevalence of red cards in the game.
"It's well documented that they're [red cards] dominating the game," he said, when asked about the importance of keeping 15 men on the field of play.
"It's not helping the spectacle. I understand the reasons but it probably needs a decent debate."
The recent Super Rugby campaign trialed a 20-minute red card this season, which allowed teams replace a player who had been sent off after a 20 minute period. The trial was also implemented in the Pro14 Rainbow Cup in 2021, but proved unpopular in the northern hemisphere.
And while the 20-minute red card did appear to be popular among fans in the Super Rugby campaign, it seemed to do little to change habits among players, with a whopping 22 red cards handed out across just 91 games in the season, while the World Rugby council's decision not to bring it forward for a global trial would suggest it is unlikely to reappear next year.
While the New Zealand coach added that his side need to be better in their tackling technique, he maintained the game's lawmakers have to do something about the number of "lopsided" matches.
"It's [the debate is] certainly happening behind the scenes, and it's getting that balance between the player welfare side of it, and that arguments strong. And then you get the fan-centric side of it, and that argument's strong," he added.
"And then you get the people who are actually playing the game, who prepare all week to play a game and then suddenly that gets disrupted.
"What can we take responsibility for? Well, our technique and discipline, and we've got to be strong on that.
"But I think there is a wider discussion about where the game is going and do we want to keep seeing contests that are a little bit lopsided in numbers? I think the answer everyone would say is no to that. I think we've got to find a way."
Foster has made four changes to his side for Saturday's deciding Test at Sky Stadium, with Sam Whitelock (above), Nepo Laulala, Will Jordan and David Havili all returning to bolster the starting side.
But the wildcard in their matchday 23 could be on the bench, with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck set to make his debut.
The 29-year-old outside back recently converted to union from rugby league, where he played 20 times for the New Zealand national side, and has impressed in the Super Rugby Pacific season for Auckland Blues.
"He just trained so well. It's actually a reward for his effort off the park. He settled in well, he's a learner, when we put him in there he's fitted in really, really well, it's a big occasion for him like it always is for a first Test.
"We're really confident that he's done his prep. I guess we made him wait a little bit, but I'm quite excited for him.
"Just do the job in front of him that he's been doing. He's an experienced player, he knows about the big stages and he knows you don't go in and overplay your hand," Foster said of the former rugby league star.
The All Blacks boss (below) is under extreme pressure heading into this weekend's final Test, as the hosts look to avoid a first Test series defeat since 1994.
Saturday's game is one of three mouth-watering series deciders this weekend, with Australia v England and South Africa v Wales also going down to the wire.
And Foster says it brings back memories of the dramatic drawn series finale between his side and the British and Irish Lions in 2017.
"Now that people have seen the Irish team play they know that they're a quality team.
"In a lot of ways this is, unfortunately, what the game of rugby needs. If you look at the Aussie-England thing it's the same. We've got a lot of evenness at the top of the tree in the game and these are the series we want to be part of. It's exciting for us.
"A lot of that is the respect Ireland have gained with our public with the way they've played. We've known that already, and I can't wait for the final contest."
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow Ireland's third Test against New Zealand via our live blogs on rte.ie/sport and on the RTÉ News App or listen to live radio commentary on RTÉ 2fm (8.05am)
