Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie launched into the latter on Thursday, impatiently disputing suggestions Australia had used illegal tactics to shut down the Springboks' proud attacking weapon in their last-gasp victory in Perth three weeks ago and issuing a gentle "get over it" about the yellow card that turned that Test match.

"I don't agree, you can say that but I don't agree," McKenzie said when a journalist contended the Wallabies had "got away with a bit" around the maul in Perth.

"We defended the maul the way you defend a maul. You can sit there and have a technical analysis around it - and obviously there's a fair bit of talk around it because the referee [Nigel Owens] is in town and everyone wants to talk and create innuendo.

"We defended it legitimately, how you defend mauls. You can sack the maul, we sacked it, that's what you do. You get an opportunity to do it, we did it."

McKenzie had obviously been stewing on comments made by Springboks lineout king Victor Matfield after the Perth Test. The veteran second rower was miffed the Wallabies had been able to neutralise his side's rolling maul in their 24-23 win.

"I must say they did very well in stopping our drives and our mauls," Matfield said, revealing he had asked referee George Clancy to scrutinise Australia's tactics in the area.

"That's a big weapon of ours and it didn't work for us. We'll have to see how legal it was, but it was one area that didn't work for us".

The issue was raised again this week with Wallabies forwards coach Andrew Blades, who said the Wallabies had reviewed the game and were satisfied their tactics were legal.

"Victor is very good at manipulating that situation and trying to create something in the back of peoples' heads," Blades said.

"You even watch it in-game, when he plays for the Bulls, if someone stops their drive he's straight across to the referees' assistant to give him his thoughts, and often at the next line out there's a penalty when nothing's happening.

"That's just the value of experience. He is a great lineout exponent, probably one of the best ever, and that's why he is able to control the way the game is played around the lineout."

The issue was still bubbling away by Thursday, when McKenzie attempted to "sack" the line of questioning before it was set, possibly in a pre-emptive strike ahead of Saturday's re-match at Newlands Stadium.

"We can sit there and analyse that side of it and if you want to get the video tape out you'll find lots of things you argue technically [in] scrum, maul, but we did what you can legitimately do, that's what we did," he said.

McKenzie was speaking at the team announcement after unveiling three changes to the side's starting line up.

He was flanked by returning players Joe Tomane and Saia Fainga'a, but found himself answering yet more questions about the nature of the Wallabies' win in Perth.

The South Africans are still smarting from the controversial yellow card handed to winger Bryan Habana for a high shot on Adam Ashley-Cooper, but the Australian coach issued an ever-so-gentle "suck it up" on Thursday.

"We had a bunch of yellow cards last year and we've had one this year, and the one this year [Rob Simmons] cost us two tries against the All Blacks [at Eden Park], which didn't make for a handsome scoreline at the end of the game," McKenzie said.

"Yellow cards are problematic, you can always go back after the game and work out whether they're right or wrong. We've all experienced them in our coaching careers, the teams have all had them and it does make a difference, but they're usually awarded for a reason and that's up to the refereeing fraternity to work out that.

"We're all in the same boat, it's swings and roundabouts, we don't get bogged down on that one [in Perth], just like we haven't got bogged down one the ones that affected us. That's just the way it is."

Australia: James Slipper, Saia Fainga'a, Sekope Kepu, Sam Carter, Rob Simmons, Scott Fardy, Michael Hooper (c), Ben McCalman; Nick Phipps, Bernard Foley, Joe Tomane, Matt Toomua, Tevita Kuridrani, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Israel Folau. Res: James Hanson, Benn Robinson, Ben Alexander, James Horwill, Scott Higginbotham, Nic White, Kurtley Beale, Rob Horne.