All Blacks: Whistle stop tour feared

The All Blacks are hoping for refereeing in Europe similar to that of Nigel Owens in Johannesburg last month. Photo / Getty Images

There is a level of trepidation within the All Blacks as they fly to Paris this morning, caused by not being quite sure what sort of refereeing they will encounter on the European leg of their November mission.

It's always a bit like this when they head north; they are coming from Venus to play on Mars and referees in the past have got themselves in an awful pickle when confronted with such contrasting styles.

But there's more reason than usual this year to be concerned. Firstly, memories of last year's November tour haven't faded in many Northern Hemisphere circles.

Discipline, or ill-discipline, became the prevailing theme as Adam Thomson was yellow-carded for stamping against Scotland and subsequently banned for two weeks.

In the third test of the tour, Andrew Hore was guilty of stiff-arming Bradley Davies in a nasty, illegal challenge. He escaped a red card because it was missed by officials but was banned for five weeks.

The All Blacks were branded thugs. They enhanced their reputation in Europe as a side that will needlessly break eggs to make an omelette.

Those accusations are par for the course when the All Blacks tour but there is some wariness that, during the next three weeks, referees will be looking hard for possible acts of foul play and see things that haven't happened.

Former All Black coach Graham Henry, in his capacity as technical adviser to Argentina in this year's Rugby Championship, felt there was already some evidence of this happening.

He said he felt referees were looking beyond "the obvious", almost trying to manufacture excuses to show yellow or red cards.

"I just can't understand what they are seeing because everyone else doesn't agree," he said.

"I think that is a weakness in the game at the moment. We need total transparency."

The greater concern for the All Blacks lies in the general handling of their upcoming tests against France, England and Ireland. New Zealand are playing a brand of rugby that has set them apart in 2013. It's built on turnover ball and quick recycling and they need referees to allow them to compete fairly on the ground and to ensure that opponents are not able to slow their supply illegally.

None of the teams they will play share a similar philosophy in terms of style. All three prefer a slower tempo, more focus around the set piece and more structure to the attacks. This presents referees with a problem; they have charge of two teams with different expectations.

"I think there are two parts to being a referee," says All Black coach Steve Hansen. "There is the need for accuracy, consistency and clarity of decision-making. Then there is the need to have a feel for the contest. If we encounter a referee where just one part is being done, then we have an imbalance.

"It has to be equal and I think we saw that when we played South Africa in Johannesburg, we got that from Nigel [Owens]. We got a really good game and he got both parts right.

"There are differences in style between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres - we all know that and we have to be able to adjust to the style of refereeing and interpretations that we encounter in each test.

"There is an IRB meeting this Tuesday for coaches and referees and I think that will be helpful in creating good understanding."

There is a bigger picture at stake as well in these next three weeks. It is less than two years until the next World Cup - close to the time when serious contenders will be fixing on the style of rugby they hope to be playing in 2015.

If the All Blacks are able to play - without excessive interference from officials - the smash and grab football that has been so devastating this year, it may persuade others to follow suit.

More than that, the IRB may emphasise to its elite panel of referees to do what they can to enable the game to flow. The governing body periodically decrees areas on which referees should focus, with a view to helping deliver the type of rugby they believe the world wants to see.

Often in the past, this has led to pedantic handling of scrums, excessive rulings at breakdowns and occasionally even the almost total neglect of the offside line.

From an All Black perspective, they would like referees to stick to the obvious which, in their view, is players staying on their feet at breakdowns, players entering rucks correctly, stringent policing of the offside line and attention paid to forward passes and knock-ons. Get those bits right and the All Blacks will be happy.