Springbok captain John Smit, the most-capped international skipper of all-time, a man with a mature head, has spoken up for referees.

Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday's Tri-Nations 'mini-final' in Hamilton, Smit said: "The hardest job on the field is probably to referee an international at this standard. You never see a player have the perfect game and it's the same with referees.

"We would not be able to do what we do if it wasn't for their passion for the game and application and they are always going to let one country's fans down.

"We played badly last weekend, we let ourselves down. This Saturday again, the result won't depend on how the referee blows the game."

The world's most-capped captain warned, however, that incorrect decisions at scrum time were always a danger because refereeing is not a common future career for front row forwards.

"Decisions can always be questionable in the scrums and that's because not many short, round guys become referees," Smit added.

"Craig Joubert often sits down and asks me about the intricacies of scrummaging and I would hope all referees would take similar steps to stay well-connected with what goes on there."