Blues coach Pat Lam felt the deciding penalty in Sunday's Super Rugby match in Brisbane between the Blues' main rivals in Australia and New Zealand, the Reds and Crusaders, had been a 'tough call'.
He said coaches knew from week to week that no-one was perfect and there was a process for coaches to go through with the refereeing administration and most coaches would have taken advantage of that process during the year.
Efforts were being made to have assistant referees [touch judges] brought up to scratch to assist the man in the middle, especially with the pace at which some games are being played. There was a realisation that mistakes were being made but Lam said he understood it was an area that Sanzar refereeing manager Lyndon Bray was attempting to tidy up.
"When you get to this time of the season, one point here or one point there is a big difference between a home semi of the profit of the whole organisation and people's jobs on the line. All of things come into it so there's a lot more riding on it and it is important they do everything they can to get it better," he said.
As the Blues look to Saturday's game with the Chiefs, a vital game now if the Blues are to finish as New Zealand's top-placed side, there had been a re-emphasis on areas in the game the side had slackened off in during their bye week.
He was expecting the Chiefs to be physical, after they also were coming off the bye, but also because it was such a traditional contest between the neighbours.
But Lam was also conscious that it was vital to finish in first or second place because it gave the two sides a week off while also meant they didn't have to travel for their semi-finals.
And all of the teams who were out of the running were more dangerous than the better performers because they were in a position of having nothing to lose, he said.
"I know the Chiefs have still got a mathematical chance but it all comes down to this game and other results going their way so it is going to be massive and every game we play since I have been in this job is always tough," he said.
Injuries continue to impede the ability of the Blues to put a top-flight combination on the field.
Flanker Daniel Braid will play club rugby this weekend while centre Benson Stanley is fit to be considered. Prop Tony Woodcock would not be ready this weekend.
With Woodcock the Blues were now taking the view that he was unlikely to play again for the rest of the season and if he happened to come back it would be a bonus. Lam said there was still a possibility fullback Isaia Toeava could be back, but that could depend on his own recovery and how long the Blues remained in the competition.
Lam said captain Keven Mealamu would start on the bench in Saturday's games and answered critics of his policy in playing the All Blacks hooker in every game until last weekend when the Blues had their second bye by saying that he believed Mealamu would have had more time off than most fit players in the New Zealand conferences.
Mealamu had had several breaks from training and his time had been managed by the Blues with the full knowledge and consent of the All Blacks' management team.