Michael Cheika said that as a former player he was “embarrassed” at the confusion the crackdown on high tackles is causing in the World Cup after another match was held up by constant reviews on the big screen.

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Australia’s head coach was speaking after his side’s 29-25 defeat by Wales, which leaves them on course for the more difficult route to the final with England and New Zealand likely to stand in their way.

The Australia wing Reece Hodge was banned for three weeks after being cited for a dangerous tackle on Peceli Yato the previous week which left the Fiji flanker concussed, but when Wales’s replacement fly‑half Rhys Patchell made a similar challenge on Samu Kerevi here it was the Australia centre who was the subject of the review and penalised for going into the challenge with a raised forearm, although the crowd did not know which of the two was being scrutinised.

“It was pretty funny because I thought I had seen that tackle before, it could have been Reece Hodge, I am not sure,” said Cheika, who in the build-up to the match had berated World Rugby for taking action against his wing and shortly before the governing body had admitted that its officials had not performed to an acceptable level during the opening round of World Cup matches . “When our guy makes that tackle and has the high tackle framework in his head, he gets suspended. This guy [Patchell] doesn’t think about the high tackle framework and we get penalised. Samu was reviewed for leading with his forearm. I think he may have lifted his arm to the Wales player’s chest, but is that illegal? I am not sure I know the rules any more.

“As a rugby player, a former player, I am embarrassed here. You have got to look after players, but not to the extreme where you are doing so just for the doctors and lawyers. I do not understand any more. The referees all seem spooked and everyone is worried, except the players. Then it affects everything else on the field.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Australia’s flanker Michael Hooper (left) and centre Samu Kerevi listen to French referee Romain Poite after a high tackle. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

Asked to comment on the England centre Piers Francis escaping punishment after being cited for a high tackle during the opening minutes of the victory against the USA last week, Cheika said: “I heard he got off. Maybe the lights going out [a few minutes before the end of the Wales match] is a bit of a symbol.”

Kerevi said he was surprised to be reviewed and penalised for a technique he had used all his career. “The way the game is going I might as well join the Australian National Rugby League next season,” he said. “I understand it is a hard decision for the referees and I guess I have to change the way I run with the ball even though I have always done it.

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“It is hard when it is slowed down to one-tenth of a second. It looks like I am going for his neck, but there is no malice in it. What do you do in that split second? I am coming at force and he is going backwards. So I can’t move and might as well just stop? I guess I have to use my feet and not run straight any more.”

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Patchell, who came on as a first-half replacement for the concussed Dan Biggar and supplied 14 points with the boot, including his side’s second drop goal, said he did not want to get involved in the debate. “I tackled him and the referee made his decision. I am not here to say anything controversial. The game is the game and people make decisions. We are just out there to do our best.”

Wales were on a high after their first win against a major southern hemisphere nation at the pool stage of a World Cup. They were outscored by three tries to two but the difference in their 29-25 victory was the two drop goals through Biggar, after just 36 seconds and Patchell, three minutes into the second half. It has been 35 Tests since they had last scored with a drop goal.

“It was not a tactic we particularly had in mind for this game,” Patchell said, “but it is something we work on in training. Everyone thinks tries win World Cups, but what counts is goal-kicking, being able to pick up points. You have to be ready for opportunities and we were. Dan hit his phenomenally well; mine was more scratchy but they all count and they both put vital points on the board for us in a big win.”