South Africa coach Peter de Villiers says New Zealand cheats in the setpieces and wants referee Matt Goddard to strictly rule on that part of the Tri-Nations rugby match next weekend.

De Villiers said on Sunday the International Rugby Board prevented him from talking to the referee, but he told the Afrikaan newspaper Sondag that if Goddard doesn't control the lineouts and scrums then Saturday's match at Cape Town could become a farce.

"It is obvious that as world champions, our biggest strengths are in the lineout and in the scrum," de Villiers said in Sondag.

"And it is precisely here where the opposition will try and neutralise us.

"The All Blacks use tactics which are illegal and as far as I know if it is illegal, then it is not allowed.

"We have picked up three things that they do which are illegal in the lineouts.

"It starts with their flanker coming through the lineout illegally to stop any ball thrown down to the scrumhalf. They also do their best to play the lineout jumpers in the air and jump across the line, and then thirdly they manage to close the gap to a half a meter between the two sets of players.

"All I know is that if there is a rule, and if it applies to one team, it applies to both teams.

"The referee has to blow according to the rules and not according to his interpretation, its that simple."

The All Blacks arrived in South Africa on Saturday, and intend to name their side on Tuesday.

The Springboks remained quiet on the injuries to lock Bakkies Botha (knee), centre Jaque Fourie (cheekbone) and fullback Conrad Jantjes (neck), who were all hurt in the 63-9 defeat of Argentina on Saturday. The Boks said they will update the players' status on Monday.

In light of the injuries, one of the dropped pair of utility backs Frans Steyn and Ruan Pienaar - both World Cup winners - may yet receive a recall to the squad. But de Villiers said the duo need to specialise if they want longer test careers.

Steyn and Pienaar were released last week to play in the Currie Cup, and de Villiers responded to criticism of the decision by telling Sondag it was one of his hardest choices as a coach.

"If I looked at reserve scrumhalf, and I have to choose between Ruan Pienaar and Fourie du Preez, and I sent Fourie back, I would have to have my head read," de Villiers explained.

"The same goes in a decision between Jaque Fourie and Frans Steyn. I told Ruan and Frans, it is great to have you here, but if Fourie or Jaque are back, then you are at the back of the queue again.

"I told them, you can go back and decide where you want to play. But with every decision there is a responsibility and that responsibility is that if you choose to play flyhalf, you must know there are players ahead of you.

"The same goes for scrumhalf, there you must know Bolla (Conradie), Fourie and Ricky (Januarie) are all ahead of you.

"Ruan is a very good player, but as a scrumhalf, I have to ask if he does all the basic things that a scrumhalf has to do.

"This is what I look for and I have to be honest about these things. If Ruan and Frans were playing badly, then it would be easier, but they aren't playing badly.

"The coach is possibly wrong, but I have to choose and stick by my decision. Both are great players but there are players here who have a little bit extra because they are specialists."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP