Australia centre Samu Kerevi was penalised after the television match official, following several minutes to assess slow-motion replays, ruled that the left arm he used as a fend as he braced to be tackled had made contact with Welsh flyhalf Rhys Patchell's throat. Kerevi's arm made contact with Patchell's chest, then slipped up as the Welsh player attempted a ball-and-all tackle at chest height.
Cheika said it felt like the rules around tackle technique were causing confusion for players and officials.
"It was pretty funny because I thought I had seen that tackle before, it could have been Reece Hodge, I am not sure. When our guy makes that tackle and has the high tackle framework in his head, he gets suspended. This guy doesn't think about the high tackle framework and we get penalised.
"I don't understand any more. They (referees) all seem spooked," Cheika said. "Everybody seems worried, they are all worried about stuff so much. I am not sure why they are worried, the players aren't worried. Then it's affecting everything else on the field."
"That's a tough one, right. You have got to care on the field, you have got to look after players, but not to the extreme where you are looking after the players just for the doctors and lawyers. You've got to look after the players for the players."
Cheika also claimed post-match that "Maybe Australia's not allowed to scrum any good," and expanded on that in the press conference.
"We had set-piece dominance that was sort of rewarded more in the second half than the first half. There were a lot of factors. There wasn't one huge 'why didn't it happen in the first half, why did it happen in the second half' type of thing.
"I think some bits and pieces in the game went right against us. I am not sure why we would be collapsing the scrum when we are going forward and the referee penalises us and then the linesman tells him (to change his decision). Those sort of things change momentum."
- With AP
