All Blacks: Ref to assess ground

Craig Joubert. Photo / Mark Mitchell

South African referee Craig Joubert will be a focal point in the Bledisloe Cup rugby opener, long before a ball is kicked inside Etihad Stadium.

Joubert's verdict on the turf at Saturday's test venue will determine whether the match between trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand will proceed.

He has already expressed concerns to International Rugby Board referees manager Paddy O'Brien. The surface has been labelled unstable by Australian Football League clubs and the AFL Players Association, and debate is continuing about the possibility of All Blacks and Wallabies being injured.

Joubert contacted O'Brien after being confronted with damning stories about the ground on arrival in Melbourne.

All Blacks and Wallabies management were yesterday united in being comfortable with the game taking place, though Joubert will have the final say once he makes his own inspection.

"At the end of the day, a referee's obligation is to check the playing surface. So it is his responsibility to make sure it is safe and that's what he's doing," O'Brien told The Australian newspaper.

All Blacks head coach Graham Henry had no doubt the game would proceed as scheduled, saying both sides would have to "make the best" of conditions.

Wallabies counterpart Robbie Deans insisted the teams would be competing "on a level playing field".

The All Blacks visit the stadium tomorrow to assess what the fuss is about, though they are forbidden to train on it as ground staff try to stabilise the surface ahead of Friday's AFL match between St Kilda and Essendon.

"Obviously it's proven troublesome for the AFL but our game's a little different," said All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen.

Rugby players wore different footwear and did not change direction the same way as in Aussie Rules, he said.

The scrums, however, do pose a potential problem.

"Obviously at scrum time we'll be hoping the surface holds together," he said.

"At the end of the day we'll have to deal with it. If that means getting a bit closer as two forwards packs and scrummaging slightly different because of the surface that's what we'll do."

O'Brien said uncontested scrums - employed when front row stocks were compromised by injury or foul play - were not an option.

Meanwhile, AFL boss Andrew Demetriou did not rule out the possibility of switching AFL fixtures to alternative venues if the ground was considered too dangerous before reiterating: "There is no suggestion that this surface is unsafe."

- NZPA