The All Blacks have stepped up their war of words ahead of the four-test series against the Springboks, continuing to insist that South African teams are attempting to slow the tempo of matches.
Assistant coach Tana Umaga echoed the stance first taken by head coach Dave Rennie, telling New Zealand media that the tourists found it frustrating when opponents visibly tried to disrupt their preferred fast-paced approach. Umaga said the All Blacks wanted to deliver running rugby that the public loved watching, questioning what kind of spectacle teams were offering.
Rennie had previously stated his intention to pressure match officials into maintaining tempo, and after the All Blacks' victory over the Sharks in Durban he praised referee Matt Carley for pushing the home side to set line-outs more quickly. The tourists conceded 16 penalties and received three yellow cards in their opening win over the Stormers in Cape Town, but improved their discipline against the Sharks with just eight penalties and no cards.
The tactic appears designed to influence the same officials who will handle the test series, though the claim sits uneasily with recent Springboks performances. South Africa were criticised for a conservative approach in defeat at Eden Park last year, but responded with a 43-10 thrashing in Wellington a week later, whilst their attacking display at Twickenham before the 2023 Rugby World Cup offered little evidence of deliberate game management.
Former Springboks hooker Hanyani Shimange warned that the tour could turn ugly if criticism of referees continued, with New Zealand pundits including Sir John Kirwan having already slammed Karl Dickson's handling of the Cape Town opener as pedantic. New Zealand media have repeatedly criticised officiating during both the tour and the recent Nations Championship.