KEY POINTS:
Singing from the same hymn sheet, the All Black and Springbok coaches trotted off to a love-in with Tri-Nations referee Matt Goddard.
It seemed that way yesterday after the rancour and ill-feeling which has seeped out since the opening skirmish in Wellington. Graham Henry, Peter de Villiers and their staff were wearing full diplomacy kit for their discussion before today's return test at Carisbrook.
"These meetings are as old as Noah," de Villiers suggested.
"It is great to have both teams there, so from that you can understand there is nothing sinister in it."
Nothing much had changed in the game in the past century; the Springboks just wanted to clarify a few interpretations with Goddard ahead of Tri-Nations II in Dunedin.
Henry was similarly relaxed, in contrast to his exasperated comments after Wellington when he felt officials had not given Daniel Carter enough protection or dealt adequately with the scrums.
"The rules are simple, aren't they?" Henry said with his old headmaster'stone.
"You push straight and your head has got to be above your hips, and if the six frontrow forwards do that it won't be an issue.
"That's the law at scrum time, and I assume both sides will be trying to assist referee Matt Goddard to achieve that."
The meet-the-ref session was all about defusing any pressure on Goddard, who is a test rookie in these high-stakes internationals.
Henry was concerned that dominant scrums, such as the All Blacks achieved in Wellington, had suffered in the past from officials and he just wanted to clarify some points.
"But the law is the law. It is just a matter of applying it," he said.
The All Blacks would not be out to test Goddard's nerves or inexperience. They had to play disciplined rugby, and that would be emphasised before the test and at halftime.
Those comments were sweet music to de Villiers, who requested the meeting, and had it sanctioned by IRB referee controller Paddy O'Brien as long as the All Blacks attended the same discussion.
There were times, de Villiers said, when he thought he would not agree on many issues with Henry. However, self-control was a common concern.
"Discipline is an integral part of our game of rugby, the game we all love and honour so much _ and if you don't have the discipline, you might as well not be there.
"There are a lot of schoolkids watching the game, a lot of people who cherish the game and want to be part of it, and discipline is 80 per cent of it. So that is something we will always emphasise, and we will never let go of that."
New All Black captain Rodney So'oialo was part of a Hurricanes side which had issues with Goddard's control last year in the Super 14 but the flanker backed away from any continuing worries.
The All Blacks just had to work with him and his touch judges and play to the whistle.
"Discipline is a very important part of sport and a very important part of international rugby," Henry said.
"If you lose your discipline you won't play as well as you should, and there will be consequences if you do.
"So I think teams playing with discipline is critical and something that we stress during the game and at halftime _ and also because we are role models for other young
athletes."
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FINAL WHISTLE FOR WORLD RECORD HOLDER REFEREE
World test record holder Paul Honiss yesterday announced his retirement as a rugby referee, saying the time was right to move on.
Honiss, whose 46 test appointments are the most for a referee, was in action for the final time last weekend in the second test between Australia and France in Brisbane.
He said he had thought about hanging up his whistle for the past three or four months and was looking forward to his new Hamilton-based job with Downer EDI Works, where he will continue to be involved in rugby.
As national customer relations manager, Honiss will be in charge of the company's sponsorship of the Super 14 referees.
"I just thought it was the right time to pull the pin," he said. "I'm very proud of what I've achieved and I always wanted to leave on my own terms."
Honiss, 45, controlled 211 first-class matches, including 49 Super fixtures and 71 national provincial championship or Air NZ Cup games.
He made his test debut in the 1997 World Cup qualifier between Tahiti and the Cook Islands and officiated at the 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cup tournaments.
- NZPA
