Australia coach Dave Rennie has criticised referee Mathieu Raynal for lacking a "feel" for the game situation, after the Frenchman's late intervention cost the Wallabies dearly in their last-gasp defeat to the All Blacks.
Raynal took the ball off Bernard Foley in the last minute for time-wasting, as the Wallabies first-five made to kick a penalty clear out of defence, with the home team holding a three-point lead at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium.
Raynal had stopped the clock, as Foley took his time to kick, but then lost patience and stripped him of the ball, enraging the Wallabies players and triggering boos from the home fans.
With the All Blacks given possession metres out from the goal-line, fullback-turned-midfielder Jordie Barrett scored a try after the siren to win the Rugby Championship test 39-37 and seal the Bledisloe Cup - the annual trans-Tasman trophy - for a 20th year in succession.
"I think you've got to have a feel for the game and the situation," Rennie said. "So if you feel a team's wasting time, stop the clock, and then they kick it out and then you play the game.
"Let the teams decide the outcome... it was just a real lack of feel for the occasion."
All Blacks coach Ian Foster, whose team posted back-to-back wins for the first time in a difficult season, had no problem with Raynal's decision, saying it was "clearcut".
"I mean, they were delaying the kick," added Foster. "He warned them, then he said 'time off'.
"He said to speed it up, then he said 'Time on', then he asked them twice to kick it.
"I understand there was a bit of a contentious nature about it, but it was very clearcut from our position."
Neither Rennie nor longserving Wallabies prop James Slipper - standing in for captain Michael Hooper - said they had seen a similar decision ever before.
Raynal gave four yellow cards, including three to the Wallabies, in the see-sawing clash.
The home side were down to 13 men for a period on either side of half-time, after winger Tom Wright and lock Darcy Swain were yellow-carded in the same play.
Swain was sent off for a dangerous cleanout, after cannoning into Quinn Tupaea's legs, leaving the midfielder sore, but Rennie was unhappy with Swain's yellow.
"I'm not convinced by Darcy Swain's, it was certainly nothing intentional," he said.
"Ironically, he got neckrolled prior to him cleaning out, but that wasn't picked up."
Reuters
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