‘All Blacks very good at dark arts’

Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett hopes referees will be “firm and clear” when the All Blacks push the laws to prevent maul tries during the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

The build-up to Saturday’s first Test at Ellis Park has been dominated by a war of words over tactics and officiating.

The All Blacks have accused South African teams of deliberately slowing the game down, while the Springboks have responded by highlighting concerns around New Zealand’s breakdown cleanouts and defence of the maul.

WATCH: Boks flag brutal All Blacks cleanouts

Saturday’s Test will be refereed by Englishman Matthew Carley, with compatriot Karl Dickson and Georgian Nika Amashukeli serving as assistant referees and Scotland’s Mike Adamson as TMO.

“I hope we remember it for the rugby and not for the refereeing decisions and the yellow cards and red cards, which have become pretty prevalent in recent times,” Mallett said on the Talking Boks podcast.

“Safety is a big issue and I’m sure the referees are going to be really clear about that.

“You’re not allowed to tuck your shoulder in a cleanout or a tackle, and you’re also not allowed to play a guy in the air in the lineout, for example, whether he’s the jumper or the supporting player.

“New Zealand have got very good at doing that – these dark arts. You get a lineout 5m from their line and they are quite prepared to give a penalty away rather than give a try away.

“It’s just the philosophy that they have. They do not want to concede a maul try. So I hope referees will be nice and firm and clear.”

MALLETT: Boks’ mind games cleverly done

However, Mallett stressed that he also expects the Boks to be held accountable when it comes to the time taken to set up lineouts and scrums.

“I’d like them to be clear with us too about, if we get together and we’re having a big discussion about lineouts, to say, ‘Let’s get in there, let’s get the ball in within 30 seconds.’ That’s what the law says. The scrum should be set within 30 seconds. That’s what the law says. Let’s do that.

“But apart from that, no one is allowed to tell anyone in rugby how to play. It’s a chess game. You utilise what you have got to your advantage that the opposition don’t want you to use.

MORE: Peyper shuts down ‘slow down’ talk

“So if we double-shove a scrum because we’re better than them, that’s our priority. We have the right to do that. We have a right to go for a driving-maul try.

“We don’t need to do peel-offs and pretty moves in the backline if we don’t want to. If we only want to do three phases and kick an up-and-under in a contestable, that’s up to us.”

Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters