Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has poured more gasoline on the simmering flames between the All Blacks and Australia heading into Saturday's Bledisloe Cup rematch, claiming World Rugby agreed with their complaints over the controversial time-wasting call in last week's test at Melbourne, while calling out All Blacks midfielder Rieko Ioane for his post-match antics.
Referee Mathieu Raynal has been the subject of a public outcry across the Tasman and beyond for the rare call on Bernard Foley that led to the All Blacks' match-winning try at Marvel Stadium.
Immediately after the game, NZ coach Ian Foster said the decision was "clear cut", while Rennie was left bemused and a "please explain" was promptly issued to World Rugby.
Rennie alleged the governing body conceded Foley had been hard done-by with Raynal's punishment.
"We've obviously been in contact with World Rugby around it and they agreed with our concerns (about end of game)," Rennie said.
"We've decided to just take it on the chin and we're going to move on.
"It's seven days since we played that game, and we're a couple of days away from a big game in Auckland and that's our focus now.
His dial set to battle mode, Rennie had more bones to pick, accusing All Blacks midfielder Rieko Ioane of crossing the line with his behaviour after Jordie Barrett's Bledisloe-sealing try.
"I know Rieko Ioane had a lot to say to our boys after the final try, mouthing off at [Australian hooker] Folau Fainga'a around disrespecting the haka, which is a bit odd," noted the Wellingtonian.
"As New Zealanders know, when a team does a haka you respond with a haka. We don't have the luxury of having a haka, so our response is in the boomerang shape and to move forward. They're throwing down a challenge and we're accepting it."
The team had no plans to abandon their 'boomerang' response at Eden Park, Rennie added, calling Ioane's spray one of their "motivating points" heading into their riposte on NZ soil.
"I'm just a bit surprised he found it disrespectful. Is the expectation that we just stand there, they throw a challenge at us and we do nothing, just take it?
"We think it's a very respectful way of responding and it's unique to us. So no, we won't be stopping that."
Rennie also backtracked on his original post-game opinion that he "didn't see an issue" with Darcy Swain's clearout of Quinn Tupaea - which led to a season-ending ACL injury for the All Blacks midfielder - saying the lock had been "punished accordingly" with the six-week ban handed down by the SANZAAR judiciary on Thursday.
But during the judicial hearing, Rennie pointed to All Black Fletcher Newell's clean-out on Scott Sio as an example of a perceived inconsistency, claiming the prop's clear out was on par with Swain's act and deserved more punishment, which World Rugby in turn agreed with.
"It was clumsy and reckless," Rennie said of Swain's act. "There's no malice in that… it certainly met the red card threshold and he got punished accordingly.
"I hear they're fuming. We're not that excited about Fletcher Newell's clear out on Scott Sio, which leaves him out for three weeks and he didn't get cited or carded during the game… they mentioned that he should have been cited as well.
"In the end you can't use it as a defence, but we just highlighted the fact that we've got one incident that's been picked up, punished on field and off field, and another example that's been glossed over.
"We're not happy with the action and we're not happy with the result. But it's not malicious. He's been punished and six weeks is a hefty punishment, I reckon, and obviously fitting.
"But Fletcher Newell, he gets to live another day."
Complaints aside, Rennie insisted the off-field matters were now behind them, as they turned their attention to breaking the All Blacks streak at their spiritual headquarters at Auckland, where they haven't beaten the hosts since 1986.
"We seeked a bit of clarity, we got that. That's not going to help us win on the weekend. Our focus is on our preparation and making sure we throw everything at it on Saturday."
Two changes have been made to the Wallabies starting XV this weekend. Cadeyrn Neville comes into the lock in place of Matt Philip and Harry Wilson's return at No. 8 means a move to blindside flanker for Rob Valetini.
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