The Springbok coach Nick Mallett believes Ireland hooker Keith Wood should have been sent off for what he called a "deliberate act of aggression" during the first Test in Bloemfontein at the weekend.
The Springboks won 37-13, but Mallett was far from satisfied with the caution and penalty England referee Ed Morrison awarded to South Africa for Wood's punch on Springbok captain and eighth man Gary Teichmann.
The robust hooker toured South Africa with the victorious Lions last year and is well-known for his physical approach to the game.
"I thought that was a deliberate act of aggression, and I believe if I had cited him (Wood) he would be out for six weeks," Mallett said yesterday when announcing the team for the Springboks' renewal of acquaintances with Ireland in Pretoria this Saturday.
According to the rules of the game, once a referee has penalised a player on the field, the player may not be cited by the opposing team for an indiscretion.
"I admire Keith Wood as a player, but you've got to keep within the rules of the game," Mallett said. "What he did was unacceptable, and I think he should have walked.
"In fact, it's just as well that the punch hit the back of our flanker Johan Erasmus's head beforehand, otherwise it would have taken Gary's head off. In turn, I felt our discipline was outstanding."
Mallett also warned that he expected a measure of "controlled aggression" from his team in the second Test. "I don't feel our pack was aggressive enough during the first Test," he said. "There's a difference between aggression and violence. What I want on Saturday is controlled aggression. I've explained this to the team so we'll see if they understand it."
Mallett has retained the starting line-up from last Saturday's first Test, but it appears to be far from the statement of faith which that implies.
By all accounts, the Springbok coach read the riot act to his players for much of an arduous three-hour session in Johannesburg yesterday morning, and afterwards spoke far more critically of his side than he had done at the post-match press conference.
"I was very disappointed with our performance on Saturday and although we've picked the same team, I will make replacements during the game if I have to," he said. "The players must understand that everyone is under pressure for their place."
The Springboks generally improve notably on their first outing of a series, as was the case against the Lions last summer. Keith Wood and Paul Wallace admitted that the Lions' second Test was physically much harder.
South Africa (v Ireland): P Montgomery; S Terblanche, A Snyman, P Muller, P Rossouw; G du Toit, J van der Westhuizen; O le Roux, J Dalton, A Garvey, K Otto, M Andrews, J Erasmus, G Teichmann (capt), A Venter.
