Coaches meet ref to diffuse simmering arguments

A simmering war of words that has developed between the All Blacks and Springboks has prompted an unprecedented meeting with match officials ahead of tomorrow's Tri-Nations clash, according to local media reports.

Coaches Graham Henry and Peter de Villiers will meet with referee Matt Goddard to discuss issues that have arisen since New Zealand beat South Africa 19-8 in Wellington last Saturday, the Dominion Post newspaper reported yesterday.

South Africa's de Villiers called New Zealand's scrummaging in the match illegal, prompting an angry response from New Zealand scrum coach Mike Cron, while injured captain John Smit had said referees favoured the All Blacks.

Smit was injured when he was picked up and unceremoniously dumped by Brad Thorn after an incident at a ruck and will miss tomorrow's game at Carisbrook in Dunedin.

Thorn was initially penalised for the incident, then later suspended for a week.

De Villiers also said the tactics of All Blacks loosehead prop Tony Woodcock were illegal, claiming he would step outside the line of the scrum to change the angle of the engagement then use it to bore in on his opposite.

Cron, however, said Woodcock was not doing what de Villiers claimed and anyone who did engage in "stepping around" would be easily spotted by match officials.

New Zealand coach Henry also fired back at the South Africans, claiming that flyhalf Daniel Carter had been the target of several off the ball incidents, including a number of shuddering late tackles by his opposite Butch James.