South Africa joined Australia in condemning the behaviour of the International Rugby Board referees boss Paddy O'Brien, who appears decidedly biased in his actions.

The New Zealander, O'Brien, has come under fire for his extraordinary attack on Australian referee Stuart Dickinson - a move which is also viewed with suspicion Down Under.

The Australian Rugby Union has formally complained to the IRB about the criticism aimed at Dickinson by O'Brien.

This followed after O'Brien met All Blacks coach Graham Henry in London this week, to apologise for Dickinson's handling of the All Blacks' dour 20-6 win over Italy, and then made critical comments about the Australian's interpretation of the scrum laws.

Now Springbok coach Peter de Villiers voiced his frustration at the news that O'Brien has "listened and reacted to" complaints from his compatriots, New Zealand, about poor officiating, but done nothing to assist the Boks.

Asked whether he'd received any feedback from O'Brien about complaints the Boks have raised about Englishman Wayne Barnes's officiating this year, De Villiers said: "No.

"These are the people we're supposed to believe in. We hope they're never biased and that they're there for the good... and growth of the game," De Villiers told the Independent group newspapers.

"To me, this is a shock.

"When we sent reports to him [O'Brien] last year, he protected the referees to such an extent we couldn't believe it was the same game we had watched.

"I just hope this is the norm now, but if it's not, he's set a precedent for himself and the IRB.

"I can't live with the fact that some referees go into games knowing what they're going to do. It's not on. Players' careers can be ended if referees are not up to standard.

"If we expect players to be world-class, why can't we expect the same of referees?"

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