New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen admits Sonny Bill Williams "was playing league" after he was sin-binned in their victory over France.
Centre Williams was yellow carded in the second period in Paris as les Bleus launched a spirited fightback that ultimately came up short.
New Zealand eventually won 38-18 but not before Williams batted the ball over the dead-ball line, putting his side under serious pressure.
"He doesn't know the rules because he was playing league," Hansen told Stuff after a win that was a game of two halves. "In league you're allowed to smash it over the dead-ball line. It's a good lesson for Sonny. He knows next time to catch it rather than bat it over the line.
"I knew what Sonny did wasn't legal. You're not allowed to pat the ball over. A guy called John Kirwan did it in a Ranfurly Shield game years ago against Canterbury and got away with it. But we've moved on from that."
Not only was Williams sin-binned but he also handed France a penalty try too, something that caused plenty of debate amongst not just the watching spectators but also the New Zealand coaching box.
"I was surprised until Fozzie [assistant coach Ian Foster] told me the rules. I didn't realise that, once he committed that foul play, he was then deemed to be invisible. If you commit foul play in-goal you're not there. Once I understood that, it was obviously going to be a penalty try because [Yoann Huget] might have caught it," Hansen added.
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