Rugby referees urged to act on time wasting

NEW ZEALAND has called for referees to take a tough line on stoppages in rugby internationals after accusing South Africa of faking injuries to slow down play in their Tri-Nations Test.

A grim All Blacks coach Graham Henry was not happy with the manner of his side’s 35-17 win, and believed the defending champions could have performed better if the match was not such a stop-start affair.

“The only thing that frustrates me is the number of times people go down with injury. That makes the game difficult, and I’d like to see the referees more diligent about that so that the game flows a lot more,” he said.