Slap for 'softest thing I've seen' as Michael Hooper looks to league 'brothers' to fix frustrating issue

Stan Sport commentator Sean Maloney was full of praise for Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli, who did a "terrific" job in Australia's second win over Wales on Saturday.

His English assistant Matthew Carley? Not so much.

"Why are assistant refs getting involved for things like that? They don't need to," Maloney declared on Stan Sport's Between Two Posts.

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"It was the softest thing I've ever seen."

At the behest of Carley, Amashukeli stopped play in the 51st minute of the 36-28 Wallabies win at Melbourne's AAMI Park.

Carley wanted further inspection of some minor niggle, in which Wales winger Liam Williams cleaned out Wallabies No.8 Charlie Cale and lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto then flung Williams to the ground as he loitered in Australia's line.

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Williams, who also gave Cale a friendly facial, was eventually penalised after a long delay which sent Maloney's blood pressure skyrocketing.

"Come on, man. We don't need it. And the TMO's (New Zealand's Glenn Newman) like, 'oh yeah, we'll have like 5, 6 looks at this.' He just grabs him and throws him down. He falls down like this. What's going on?" Maloney inquired.

"How else are they going to get on the tele mate?" former Wallabies halfback Nick Phipps quipped.

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Wallabies great Michael Hooper was also bemused by the need to stop play and called on rugby to take a leaf out of its rival code's book.

"We've got to look to our league brothers and you just put it on report and you move straight on," Hooper said.

"We waste so much time. Look, the yellow card to the red card (10 minute review), I think rugby's actually breaking ground in that's a really good way of doing things.

"So with the (separate) Lukhan (yellow) card, it's really clear cut. He's going off, he's going to have a spell, and they're going to assess whether (it warrants a) red card.

"That other one, put it on report, the judiciary will look at it in two seconds and be done. There's nothing there but you don't take away from the game.

"So I reckon league's still got that little bit of a way ahead with the 'on report.' I like that.

"You can then deal with it without emotion. Because when the ref goes to the scoreboard and then the crowd's brought in, it might not even be a penalty.

"And the crowd starts getting involved and then the TMO is forced to make a decision.

"Just put something on report, move it on and the crowd forgets about it. It's done."