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SYDNEY - The All Blacks bemoaned referee Craig Joubert's failure to award a crucial penalty try while the Wallabies bit their lips over the Jimmy Cowan blood bin controversy.
South African referee Joubert came under the spotlight from both sides after the Wallabies' bruising 34-19 win in the Bledisloe Cup rugby opener at ANZ Stadium here on Saturday night.
With the Wallabies leading 24-19 with 22 minutes remaining, All Blacks halfback Andy Ellis chipped through for winger Sitiveni Sivivatu who looked destined to score before being tackled without the ball, metres short, by his opposite Peter Hynes.
Replays showed clear grounds for a penalty try but Joubert was unmoved.
Daniel Carter's conversion from in front would have given the All Blacks a 26-24 lead, but instead the Wallabies took charge in the final quarter as the visitors' error count mounted.
Coach Graham Henry called it a "debatable" decision while lock Ali Williams offered his best verbal sidestep with an interesting analogy for Joubert.
"What do you say? We can only control the controllables. We tried to control them, but he got away on us a few times like one of those wild fish. You've got a long line on a fishing rod but this one just snapped," Williams said.
"You're not going to put words into my mouth, but it was a tough one to swallow.
"There would have been seven points, and it would have changed the game in terms of where you can and cannot attack from, if you know what I mean."
Seconds later and the Wallabies were complaining after Ellis - who'd been substituted by Cowan after scoring a try in the 45th minute - returned to the field when a battered Cowan suffered what appeared a serious leg injury.
Assistant referee Marius Jonker, Joubert and All Blacks manager Darren Shand had a sideline conference after it was pointed out a player can only return to the field as a blood bin replacement.
Cowan then had to return after 15 minutes and limped through to fulltime.
Assistant coach Steve Hansen said Cowan had suffered a broken nose, a cut mouth and some medial ligament damage in his knee which placed him in doubt for Saturday's return match in Auckland.
Hansen said the match doctor had approved a blood bin replacement and was surprised at the fuss over the Cowan issue.
"Jimmy had a cut mouth at the same time he had a sore knee. He was bleeding so he came off with a blood injury," Hansen said.
"There's no issue to it. It's a clear cut rule that if a player has a bleeding injury and he has to go off he can be replaced by the guy that he's subbed.
"The match doctor, he's satisfied he had a bleeding injury. There's no issue, end of story."
Australian coach Robbie Deans was less convinced about whether it was a blood bin.
"I had an update on that, I understand it was blood. There was a fair amount of discussion around it, but I don't want to enter into that," he said.
Asked by an Australian journalist if it was internal bleeding, a grinning Deans said: "I don't want to go there".
Meanwhile, Hansen rejected suggestions lock Brad Thorn was becoming a liability after his sixth minute yellow card for a high tackle on Matt Giteau in his return from a one-game suspension for a spear tackle.
"He plays a physical game and tonight a guy stepped back inside him and he reacted to that and got him across the shoulder. I don't think we can panic and say he's got a discipline problem."
- NZPA
