CONTROVERSIAL: Kiwi referee Bryce Lawrence was heavily criticised for his handling of the South Africa v Australia quarterfinal.

New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence claims Australian rugby boss John O'Neill contributed to his shocking performance at last year's World Cup that led to his demise as a test official.

And he confirmed the acid-like reaction from South Africans after their loss to Australia in that quarter-final was at the core of his decision to retire.

But it was apparently O'Neill's reaction to the earlier pool loss the Wallabies suffered to Ireland under the jurisdiction of Lawrence at Eden Park that laid the foundation for his bumbling effort in the subsequent quarter-final - his last match as a test ref.

''I had four really good games at the World Cup and then I had that,'' New Zealander Lawrence told his local newspaper the Bay Of Plenty Times as he settled into his new role as the New Zealand Rugby Union's high-performance referee reviewer.

''There was some pretty nasty political stuff going on about that appointment. I refereed Australia versus Ireland and Ireland had won but behind the scenes guys like John O'Neill were kicking up a massive stink.

''I knew a bit about that and it was enough to affect me, and it probably made me freeze on the biggest stage.''

The Springboks, defending champions, exited after the Wellington match, losing a tight encounter to Australia.

Lawrence copped criticism from the Boks management and abuse from their fans.

He also came under the microscope of his bosses who agreed he'd had a shocker and gave him a spell away from the test scene - a break he never emerged from.

''It (the reaction) got pretty bad,'' Lawrence said.

''On Facebook they launched a 'get rid of Bryce Lawrence' site and it was pretty nasty.

''That was absolutely the reason for my career change.

''I got told at the end of the World Cup that I would have a break from Test rugby for the Six Nations and I could totally accept that as there has to be a consequence for poor performance.

''I was told I would be brought back in the middle of this year, as I was ranked in the top three or four referees in the world. But because of the political reaction from rugby unions like Australia and South Africa behind the scenes, they dropped me.''

O'Neill is now stepping down from his role as Australian CEO.