Key centre Len Ikitau was handed a three-match suspension for a red card tackle in the quarter-final, forcing him to watch on from the stands in the Brumbies' 20-19 point loss at Eden Park.

Two Auckland Blues players, however, were shown yellow cards for very different tackles in the semi-final on Saturday.

The departing Brumbies coach said players and staff did not know why some tackles earned a yellow, while others resulted in red.

"What is the game doing around cards?" McKellar pleaded.

"I've got Lenny Ikitau sitting in the grandstand for an accident last week, he hasn't been able to play, he possibly won't play against England in the first [Wallabies] Test match.

"We've got a guy tipped on his head, we've got head-on-head contact, one's a yellow, one's a red. I'm not complaining just about [Saturday], but as a game ... what direction are we going here?

"Because players don't know what's yellow, what's red. I don't know what is, so how's Joe Public going to have any idea?"

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Auckland hooker Kurt Elklund was given a yellow card for a lifting tackle on winger Andy Muirhead in the 53rd minute during the Brumbies' one-point loss.

Muirhead was lifted by Elklund and his Blues teammate, and tipped on his head but referee Ben O'Keeffe deemed it a yellow, as he believed Muirhead's shoulder hit the ground first.

Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa's queries over why it was not a red card offence, as the replays showed his head hit first, were swatted away by O'Keeffe.

The Blues earned their second yellow of the game 74 minutes in, when flanker Adrian Choat collided head on with Luke Reimer.

It was deemed a yellow as Reimer had slipped into it, and Choat had been "passive in the tackle" and held his position.

McKellar acknowledged it took his side 50 minutes to get going, and at the end of the day they "just weren't quite good enough" to take the win in Auckland.

"I sat in on Len Ikitau's hearing during the week and, to me, there's just so many accidents that happen in a collision sport," he said.

"So I'm not sitting here saying the Blues boys should have been red carded, but as a game, it's really hard to follow at the moment in terms of which way it may go.

"It's common sense, isn't it? If someone throws a stiff arm or punches someone or eye-gouge's someone or stands on someone, throw the book at them. No one wants players getting concussed, but there's accidents."

The Wallabies assistant coach said given the stats at Eden Park for Australian teams, they needed a bit of luck, and they did not get it.

One example being a counter ruck steal by Reimer in the 78^th minute not resulting in a penalty for the Brumbies in front of goal.

"There's a couple of decisions there that will be interesting to review. Luke Reimer appeared to be well and truly on the ball, directly in front of the posts," McKellar said.

"It's something to review and have a look at, but our season is done and dusted now, and all the best to the Blues next weekend."

The Christchurch Crusaders will have the next test against the Auckland outfit at Eden Park, with the Super Rugby Pacific grand final set for Saturday night.