Victor Matfield and Nick Mallett Question 3 Referee Calls in Springboks vs All Blacks Test 1

• Victor Matfield and Nick Mallett identified three specific officiating decisions they believe went against the Springboks in the first Test
• A scrum penalty awarded against Gerhard Steenekamp at a critical moment in the match drew particular scrutiny from both former players
• Marco van Staden received a yellow card for an incident that Matfield argued was comparable to one involving Luke Jacobson that went unpunished

Former Springbok captain Victor Matfield and ex-head coach Nick Mallett have raised serious questions about referee Matthew Carley's consistency during the first Test between South Africa and New Zealand at Ellis Park, pinpointing three decisions they believe swung the match.

Both analysts were clear that the All Blacks deserved their victory, acknowledging that the Springboks wasted possession and squandered multiple scoring opportunities. However, speaking on SuperSport's Final Whistle Presents Side Entry show, the pair argued that Carley's rulings were uneven at crucial moments.

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The most debated call centred on a scrum penalty awarded against loosehead prop Gerhard Steenekamp for walking around, despite South Africa having dominated the set-piece for the preceding five scrums. The Springboks had twice declined points from the position, opting to return to the scrum, only for the penalty to be reversed in New Zealand's favour on the third attempt.

"Five yards out, a vital part of the game, 16-12," Mallett noted, stressing the weight of the moment. Matfield described it as an outright game-changer, pointing out that New Zealand's loosehead had gone at an angle that made it physically inevitable for the Boks to follow.

"Wilco Louw was straight... the All Blacks step left and then, of course, the Boks will follow," he said.

Contrasting chargedown decisions draw scrutiny

The pair also drew a direct comparison between two chargedown incidents. Early in the match, Eben Etzebeth was penalised for being offside after charging down a Cam Rogiard kick. Later, Fabian Holland charged down a Grant Williams clearance inside the Springboks' 22 and scored the resulting try, with no sanction applied.

Mallett argued that both players were in comparable offside positions relative to players on the ground at the ruck.

"Two situations where I thought both players were offside and it should have been called back. One is let play on, and the other is a penalty against South Africa," he said.

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Van Staden Yellow card compared to unpunished Jacobson tackle

Late in the second half, Marco van Staden was sin-binned for making contact with scrumhalf Cobus Reinach at the breakdown. Matfield argued the incident was nearly identical to an earlier sequence in which All Blacks flanker Luke Jacobson took out Jasper Wiese and then played the scrumhalf, receiving no punishment whatsoever.

"We made 21 handling errors, but there were calls that put us under pressure, and that led to errors," Matfield said.

Mallett added that had Jacobson received a yellow card with 20 minutes remaining and the Springboks trailing 19-16, the outcome of the match could have been markedly different.

Source: Briefly News