British and Irish Lions

Former London Irish coach and Springbok centre Brendan Venter has become the latest South African to voice his concerns over refereeing standards in the lead up to the World Champions' Tri Nations clash against New Zealand in Dunedin this Saturday.

Venter has suggested that Saturday's referee Matt Goddard will need to keep a close eye on the All Blacks, both at scrum time and in ruck and tackle situations.

The qualified doctor, who won 17 caps for his country between 1994 and 1999, told The Cape Times that rugby at the highest level was becoming more and more about "who can push the letter of the law, or to put it more directly, cheat the most without getting caught".

"They continue to play our player on the floor after the tackle and this makes quick ball impossible," said Venter after watching the Springboks fall to a 19-8 defeat at the hands of the All Blacks last weekend.

"Stuart Dickinson just has no idea when it comes to policing this sort of thing. He is a very weak referee, and I am extremely worried about this week because Matt Goddard, nice guy though may be, could be even weaker.

"I might not be an ex front-row forward, but using my common sense, if Tony Woodcock was not scrumming in, why did he struggle so much to dominate CJ van der Linde when the referee was on his side of the scrum?

"I foresee a big problem for tomorrow if the referee doesn't do his job and keep both teams honest. For the neutral it is a nightmare for if there is no quick ball there is no spectacle, and it impacts on the overall product."

The Waratahs upset the odds by beating Super Rugby leaders the Brumbies 28-22, but the game came at a huge cost to Qantas Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.

Lions skipper Sam Warburton says the lessons he and his Welsh colleagues learnt in Australia last summer will stand them in good stead for their return visit with Britain and Ireland's elite next month.