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Tokyo - Australian players said Wednesday they were nonplussed about a crackdown on high tackles that left wing Reece Hodge banned and coach Michael Cheika fuming.
After Hodge received a three-match suspension for a high shot against Fiji, the Wallabies were aggrieved when Wales fly-half Rhys Patchell stood up high in a tackle on Samu Kerevi, who was penalised for using his forearm.
With referees on notice to clamp down on high tackles, which have been linked to concussions, centre Tevita Kuridrani said players found the situation difficult to judge.
"When we watched the video it (Patchell's tackle) was really high. You can't do anything more than running it so we just keep practising what we've been doing and maybe try to keep the elbow out a little bit," Kuridrani said.
Matt To'omua, who will play inside centre alongside Kuridrani against Uruguay on Saturday, said some of the decisions at the World Cup had made him question the habits of a lifetime.
"It is tough. As a rugby player you play a certain way your whole life and I think most rugby players would look a lot of the incidents and think it's okay, and see a bit more malice in certain other ones," To'omua said.
"It is an interesting space at the moment."
However, he denied that Australia felt the world was ganging up on them, after Cheika's angry reaction to the refereeing in the Wallabies' 29-25 defeat to Wales.
"I wouldn't say it's the feeling in camp in the sense that we're thinking everyone's against us. There were just a couple of incidents and you've seen them in other games," To'omua said.
"I don't think either have had a direct impact on the result of the game, that's the main thing."
To'omua added that the Wallabies weren't doing anything to compensate for the approach by referees, who are following a new protocol on dealing with high tackles. Five players have been suspended for high shots so far at the World Cup.
"It doesn't really change anything for us. We've never practised tackling high, we've never practised leading with the forearm," he said.
"Most of our tackles are all legs tackles to get the player on the ground as quickly as possible."
