REFEREE Jaco Peyper has been described as a “pretty good” communicator as he prepares to take charge of Saturday’s first Test between New Zealand and the British and Irish Lions.
The South African official will be under an intense spotlight at Eden Park, Auckland as both sides strive for immediate success in the three-Test series.
Lions head coach Warren Gatland has already highlighted what he sees as New Zealand players illegally blocking to prevent opponents contesting possession in the air, with that issue surfacing during last weekend’s victory over New Zealand Maori in Rotorua.
Asked about the blocking suggestions yesterday, All Blacks flanker Jerome Kaino said: “As long as you are within the rules, I don’t think there is any problem.
“For us, we can’t really go into a game worrying about what the ref is going to rule on how we play the game.
“You have just got to play to the whistle. The ref’s ruling on things, you have just got to adapt and adjust as fast as you can within that 80 minutes. For us, it is a matter of focusing on our strengths as much as possible.
“He [Peyper] is pretty good in how he commentates to the players in terms of what’s going on and what he wants. As a player, you always want to know what he [referee] needs from you, and that is all you can ask for.”
Kaino, meanwhile, has described the prospect of playing in a Test series against the Lions as “huge”.
Kaino won the first of his 78 caps a year after the Lions’ last New Zealand visit in 2005, when they suffered a 3-0 Test series whitewash against the Dan Carter-inspired All Blacks.
But he is set to be a key part of head coach Steve Hansen’s back-row armoury this time around, starting at Eden Park, where New Zealand are unbeaten since 1994.
“Any Test in the All Blacks environment is huge, and I think things are slowly starting to amplify now that we are finally getting to the first Lions Test,” Kaino added.
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