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Sydney. Springboks coach Peter de Villiers on Thursday suggested his team has been a victim of a conspiracy to assist the All Blacks ahead of next year’s World Cup in New Zealand.

As South African officials took issue with what they claimed were adverse refereeing and judicial rulings, de Villiers went further, insinuating the All Blacks were aided by referees in the Tri-Nations to help swell Kiwi World Cup excitement.

The Springboks crashed to back-to-back defeats against the All Blacks in New Zealand this month and face the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday.

“I’ve got my own observations about the last two tests, and maybe I can’t say it in public, but we do have a World Cup in New Zealand next year. Maybe it was the right thing for them to win the games so they can attract more people to the games next year,” he said on Australian television.

The Springboks are bemused as to why northern hemisphere referees have officiated in their opening two tests, which New Zealand won comfortably after South Africa had players sin-binned early in both matches.

Lock Bakkies Botha was also suspended for the entire Tri-Nations tournament for headbutting scrum-half Jimmy Cowan in the 32-12 loss in Auckland, while winger Jean de Villiers was banned for three weeks for a dangerous tackle on Rene Ranger in the 31-17 Wellington defeat.

De Villiers was particularly unhappy about the way Irish referees Alan Lewis and Alain Rolland controlled the breakdown in both matches.

All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw stayed on the field despite being warned and penalized several times by Rolland and, in response, de Villiers said his team might have to cheat to compete.

De Villiers has subsequently refined his comments to say they should be more “street smart” against the Wallabies at Lang Park.

He has the support of the South African Rugby Union, with SARU president Oregan Hoskins instructing their SANZAR legal representative, Judge Lex Mpati, to address what they see as inconsistent rulings against the Boks.

De Villiers’s side needs a morale-boosting victory against the Australians to give itself any hope of holding on to the Tri-Nations trophy it emphatically won last year.

But the South Africans will have to end a 45-year drought if they are to succeed over the weekend, having not won at Brisbane’s Lang Park in six attempts, stretching back to 1965.

Indeed the Springboks have not even registered a try in their last four visits to the ground.

The 2007 World Cup champion and last year’s top-ranked nation began its Tri-Nations title defense disastrously with consecutive losses to the All Blacks, conceding to the Kiwis a maximum 10-point start in this season’s series.

Flanker Ryan Kankowski believes the Boks will be smarting to atone at the Wallabies’ expense.

“Any team coming off a loss will be more dangerous,” Kankowski said. “You’ve got a point to prove, and the way I look at it you are only as good as your last game and we didn’t play to our potential in the last two games.


Agence France-Presse