Bledisloe Cup rugby referee Steve Lander does not subscribe to the theory northern and southern hemisphere whistle-men have different philosophies.

Englishman Lander, who will control his 14th Test - "the biggest of my career" - at Carisbrook on Saturday, believes the perception is no longer valid.

That is despite the criticism of Irish referee David McHugh for his pernickety officiating, especially at the breakdowns, of the Test between Australia and South Africa in Pretoria eight days ago.

"I don't buy into the view there's a difference between northern and southern hemisphere refereeing styles any more," Lander said in Dunedin on Sunday.

"There's a difference between individual referees and I don't think you'll ever eliminate that. But since the International Rugby Board (IRB) has been
appointing referees to top matches, we have a lot of meetings and we know each other pretty well.

"It's very much now a case of three international referees coming together and refereeing according to how the IRB are managing the laws."

Lander will have South Africans Tappe Henning and Mark Lawrence as touch judges. Lander (45)believes the continuing controversy over rulings at tackled ball situations is "stirred up a bit by the media" and he is clear how he should officiate.

"The tackler must move away and allow the tackled player to exercise his option. Any player who arrives on his feet and enters the tackle from the correct direction must be allowed to play the
ball," he said.

"I've got those three in that priority - tackler, tackled player and arriving players. That's how we're all interpreting it."

But Lander acknowledged it was not always that simple. "It's easy to talk about. What happens in high speed, dynamic situations may not be seen so simply," he said.

"The fourth element is any arriving player, if he looks like he's going straight to ground - diving into that situation - will be penalised. If he's driving upwards, but ends up on the ground away from the ball, he won't be penalised.

"We're there to arbitrate, to be consistent, in that contest for possession."

Lander said being appointed to control a Bledisloe Cup Test was the ultimate for any northern hemisphere referee.

"It's the biggest tick on my wish list. It's the fulfilment of an ambition. Everybody would like to say they've refereed the All Blacks and Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup Test," he said.

"My philosophy is that the game's for the players. It's not a game for the referees. The difference between the best referees and the rest is that the best make less mistakes. We all hope we don't make a high-profile mistake in a big test. I'm there to be consistent and fair."

Lander refereed a colts match in Dunedin on Saturday, his first since he controlled the English premiership final at Twickenham at the end of May, but he is not concerned over his lack of recent games.

"Not really. In modern rugby I'm lucky to get a bit of a break. I've made sure I've maintained my fitness and I've been to several meetings and conferences," he said.

Lander refereed the All Blacks' 102-0 romp over Tonga at Albany last year and he has been a touch judge "two or three times" for Wallaby Tests. He controlled his first Test, between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield, in 1995, and has been a professional referee for 2-1/2 years.

Fresh from a holiday in the south of France, Lander will on Monday travel to Te Anau where he will be hosted by former top New Zealand
referee Dave Bishop.

"It will break up the week," he said. "If you're not careful you can become too intense too soon. A Test ground is the same as any other ground, just a bit noisier and the game a bit quicker. I've heard all about Carisbrook and I'm looking
forward to experiencing it." - Sapa-NZPA