All Blacks boss Dave Rennie is appealing to World Rugby’s decision-makers to simplify scrum laws and address the set-piece tactics of the Springboks.
Speaking on Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Sport with Jason Pine, Rennie questioned World Rugby’s brake foot stipulation, introduced in 2024 to stabilise the scrum and reduce axial loading.
“There was a meeting about the shape of the game with World Rugby and the brake foot was never mentioned but then all of a sudden it comes in,” he said.
Referees now penalise a hooker whose heel is not down, and Rennie sees no value in that: “Supposedly, it’s gonna stop 800 kilos behind you if you have your heel down. And I think it made it harder for the referee.”
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During the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, Rennie repeatedly accused the Boks of “walking around” at scrum time, claiming their pack gained an illegal angle and targeted New Zealand’s loosehead props.
He raised the issue with World Rugby, while Bok rival Rassie Erasmus and scrum guru Daan Human rejected the allegations, insisting South Africa scrummaged legally.
“We just felt that the South African tightheads are on a 45 [degree angle] immediately, and then they’d walk sideways,” Rennie told Pine.
“It’s really hard for our loosehead to stay in front of a tighthead who is shearing in.”
“That’s the challenge we’re sending to World Rugby: let’s simplify things,” he added. “Let’s give the referees less to think about and look at, and just concentrate on keeping the scrum square.”
The former Wallabies chief warned that if shearing across is rewarded, “it’s going to be a debacle at every scrum”.
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Rennie said another World Rugby meeting is scheduled this week, with a conference in London on the Sunday before the All Blacks face Scotland in the Nations Championship (7 November).
He admitted there is “a lot of personal interest or self-interest” at those meetings, although the Kiwi still believes the All Blacks can compete with the Boks at scrum time.
“Under the current framework, we definitely can,” Rennie added.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
