Tokyo (AFP)
The Springboks put pressure on French referee Jérôme Garcès on Monday to be impartial in the first clash of the Rugby World Cup against the All Blacks on Saturday.
"The supporters are looking forward to this, and we hope the referee will treat all aspects of the game and all the fans in the same way," South Africa assistant coach Mzwandile Stick told a press conference. .
In the past, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has been repeatedly accused of playing on the edge in open scrums and successfully influencing referees to whistle in his favor.
For Stick, the referees must be more consistent in their application of the rules to different teams that the gap has narrowed between New Zealand and his main opponents.
"If you look at the top five teams in the world, each of them has a chance to win the World Cup in a good day," said Stick.
"It's a lot more balanced between New Zealand and us now," said the Springbok assistant coach, who won the last Rugby Championship after hitting the All Blacks (16-16) at home in Wellington.
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