AB coaches sing ref`s praises

Monday 04th August 2008 - www.planet-rugby.com

In a refreshing change from the mud slinging, finger pointing and accusations of cheating and bias that have often soured the opening rounds of this year's Tri-Nations, the All Blacks coaching team have commended South African referee Mark Lawrence for a job well-done.

Lawrence was in charge of Saturday's second Bledisloe Cup match which the All Blacks won 39-10 at Eden Park squaring the series against the Wallabies at one a piece.

New Zealand supporters would have been pleased to see Lawrence clamp down on the Wallabies at scrum-time, an area in which they have been accused by both the All Blacks and Springboks for using less-than-legitimate tactics.

"I thought Mark Lawrence refereed the match well," Head Coach Graham Henry told the New Zealand press.

"We have been under a bit of pressure in that department in recent times so it was good to get a bit of the bounce of the ball. I thought the referee refereed very well. He has gained a lot of confidence over the last couple of years. I thought he was very good, that helps."

"He certainly has a good handle for it, he does a lot of work on it I know," added forwards coach Steve Hansen.

The battle up-front saw the All Blacks gain the upper hand, which was used as a building lock for New Zealand loose forwards to take control of the breakdown area in a reversal of the previous week's 34-19 loss to the Wallabies.

Hansen thought is was one All Blacks pack's best performances during his time as a national coach.

"I look at the test match in Wellington, against the Springboks it was pretty good," he said.

"France in 2004 was pretty good. That will be in one of the top three or four performances.

"Probably the best thing was because we were under a lot of pressure. It was a group of young people involved, a lot of new faces, so for those guys to experience that and come through it on the other side is really good for them."