New Zealand coach Steve Hansen has dismissed the notion that referees favour in-form teams and says comments by counterpart Rassie Erasmus ahead of Saturday's Rugby World Cup opener against South Africa were aimed at putting the match officials under pressure.
Erasmus is convinced that referees favour successful teams and this week called for a more balanced approach to officiating at the World Cup.
But Hansen believes there is no special treatment for his side, or any of the other major contenders in the competition, suggesting Erasmus' words were aimed at influencing Saturday's referee, Frenchman Jerome Garces.
"It's pretty obvious what they are trying to do," Hansen told reporters in Tokyo on Thursday. "I have a lot of respect for South Africa and particularly Rassie, he's a great coach, but I don’t agree with them trying to put more pressure on the referees. They're under enough pressure already.
REPUTATION: Rassie believes if you have a winning reputation match officials tend to favour 50-50 decision to you. Photo: Paul Childs/Reuters.
"They don't need us coaches doing what he is doing. It doesn't matter who you are, as a coach or a team, you can always find things after a game and get emotional about the fact that it is against you and not the opposition. We have done it ourselves.
"But at the end of the day they go out there to do the best that they can and, yes, they don't get it right all the time, we have suffered from that, just like other teams."
The All Blacks were often alleged by fans and pundits to have received favourable treatment from match officials during a decade-long reign at the top of the world rankings.
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— Springboks (@Springboks)
Erasmus said he knew from personal experience that 50-50 decisions were likely to go in your favour if you came into a match with a reputation or on a lengthy winning streak.
Reuters