Frustrated De Villiers calls for consistency

WELLINGTON – South Africa were still coming to terms with new rule interpretations and referees needed to be more consistent, Springboks coach Peter de Villiers said after his side sunk to a 31-17 loss to New Zealand on Saturday.

The All Blacks secured their second successive bonus-point win in the 2010 Tri-Nations with the victory, following their 32-12 success last week at Eden Park.’I’m frustrated at the moment,’ De Villiers said of the rule interpretations which give the attacking team the advantage at the breakdown. He told reporters: ‘The only thing a coach can ask is consistency. We have played six games and have had six different types of (interpretation of) plays on the ground.’To me it’s a bit frustrating … the laws are a bit different on the ground and it calls for attention, maybe from the outside.’I would love to sit down with right people and let them tell us how to prepare for those kinds of incidents.’I don’t like to prepare the guys to cheat and it seems to me (it is) the only way going forward if you want to be on top of those things.’The Springboks were also hampered by their second early yellow card in successive tests, with Danie Rossouw sin-binned by Alain Rolland in the fourth minute. Bakkies Botha was also sin-binned early last week in Auckland.KICKS MISSEDThe All Blacks managed to take advantage of the extra man, scoring 10 points, though the scoreline could have been much worse if Daniel Carter had not missed three kicks at goal.’I’m obviously surprised to get a yellow card at the start of the test match because it does put us on the back foot,’ captain John Smit said.’We had a chance with Dan missing all those early kicks and it made the deficit only 10 points, which is an easy target.’We held it in there but they just kept coming, kept getting quick ball and kept stumping up.’But Smit also said he had not been surprised at the All Blacks not having someone sin-binned after they were being penalised continuously inside their own 22 as the Springboks hammered away at their line.’I suppose if it was my first year of playing the All Blacks I would be surprised, but this isn’t my first year,’ he said with a wry smile.All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, who was told by Rolland that the next infringement by one of his players would result in a yellow card, said the team had mostly got it right.’We did get under pressure and gave away a couple of penalties,’ McCaw said. ‘I was probably a little guilty myself a couple of times.’I guess if you are under pressure you have to make sure you get the decisions right.’ – Nampa-Reuters