Focus on players, not ref - Foster
One lesson the All Blacks have taken from the disputed Australia-Scotland World Cup quarter-final is that they cannot leave the outcome of their semi-final against South Africa to the referee.
"That showed us if the game's tight at the end anything can happen," All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said Monday.
And Foster expects a similar nail-biting finish when the All Blacks play arch-rivals South Africa on Saturday to decide who will go through to the final against Australia or Argentina.
After reviewing the controversial end to the Australia-Scotland match World Rugby said referee Craig Joubert was wrong when he awarded a last minute penalty that secured Australia's 35-34 victory over Scotland.
Foster said it would be up to the All Blacks to avoid being put in the same situation even though he expected the match would be a close call.
"It's semi finals and it's going to come down to the wire, we know that, and we're just going to do everything we can this week to prepare well and control what we can control."
The All Blacks have already closed the door on their emphatic quarter-final victory against France when the referee could not influence the landslide outcome.
In a gala display of running rugby, the All Blacks scored nine tries to oust France 62-13.
"Whilst we've all received a bit of a pat on the back for what happened against France, it means nothing now. It's back to square one," Foster said.
"The challenge is very obvious, we all know it and we've just got to make sure the full stop we've put on France stays there and we start from zero again."
It has been drilled into the All Blacks that they will have to be better than they were against France if they are to beat South Africa.
"Obviously there's a lot riding on the game so the intensity will be right up there," flanker Sam Cane said.
"It'll be some fine margins in key moments that are likely to decide it."
The All Black medical team will play a key role in preparing the side to face South Africa.
Training routines will have to be juggled to keep the players fresh while also preparing for the bruising clashes expected against the Springboks' hugely physical game.
"We try to measure it. We talk a lot to the medical side of our team to see where and when we can do that just to make sure we have a hit," Foster said.
"Clearly you can't walk totally away from it because Saturday against South Africa physicality is going to be top of the list."
Although World Rugby said Joubert remains an "important" member of their referees' roster the South African has been excluded from officiating in the semi-finals.
Jerome Garces of France will referee the All Blacks-Springboks match with compatriot Romain Poite and Irishman John Lacey on the sideline.
England's Wayne Barnes will take charge of the Australia-Scotland game on Sunday assisted by Jaco Peyper of South Africa and Ireland’s George Clancy.
AFP