CARDIFF - All Blacks rugby centre Conrad Smith was adamant he scored the disallowed try at Millennium Stadium and called on referees to back themselves and make calls on instinct.
Smith was baffled when he appeared to score a crucial try in the 62nd minute, which would have put the
test beyond doubt, but referee Craig Joubert went to television match official Graham Hughes who called it held up.
It would have boosted the All Blacks' lead to 23-6 and surely put the test beyond doubt, before Wales launched a late comeback.
Coach Graham Henry made a point of raising the disputed try after the match and said he was certain Smith had scored. The man himself didn't disagree.
"Yeah I thought I grounded the ball but who knows? I got up thinking they'd called a forward pass because that's all the Welsh fellas were telling me, so I didn't celebrate then they went upstairs... I'm not a fan of the video ref," Smith said.
"I'd love refs just to make the call. That's a big part of rugby. But there's a fair argument if they're big calls in test matches and video refs can help them, maybe there's a case for that but it's out of my hands."
Regardless of the disputed try, Smith produced another strong performance in the centres alongside Ma'a Nonu.
The pair kept dangerous Welsh duo Jamie Roberts and Tom Shanklin in check and left All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen reaching for the superlatives.
"Conrad keeps continuing to play to a very, very high standard and Ma'a's not that far behind him. Conrad would be close to the best centre in the world at the moment, the way he's playing."
- NZPA
