GOLDEN Lions coach Johan Ackermann cited "inconsistent" refereeing as part of the reason for his side's second Currie Cup defeat on Saturday.

The Lions suffered a 36-26 defeat to the Blue Bulls at Loftus Stadium and it was their second defeat of the season. With the defeat, the Johannesburg-based side slid down the log standings from second to third on the table at the halfway mark of the competition.

"To me he [the referee] wasn't certain what was happening," Ackermann said.

The Lions have been one of the top scrummaging sides, not only in the Currie Cup, but also at this year's Super Rugby tournament. However, on Saturday, although they continued to be a handful for the Bulls at the scrum, that was also an area referee Marius van der Westhuizen punished them.

The Bulls also did not get any mercy from Van der Westhuizen, who found fault with almost every scrum in the match.

"There were some obvious instances - I think all the props were not binding properly . I just think the referee didn't have control over the game," Ackermann said.