Rugby Laws Changed - Fewer Scrums, Dupont Law Gone 

World Rugby the type of kid to say "im not playing anymore" after being Tagged.

Next year they will ban green jerseys. But only the darker green

Rassie is probably bored already and can't wait for new law changes just to exploit them at the next world world cup😂😂 and anger these blokes from world rugby all over again.

The irony is that scrum was one of the most exciting and talked about moments of the world cup. If you're trying to get people to talk about rugby less then these changes are great.

If the Free Kick rule change affects Free Kicks from Scrum infringements, then Scrum Infringements need to be upgraded to Penalties. Otherwise they will end up with teams deliberately giving away free kicks, knowing that another Scrum can't be called.

The irony of introducing MORE kicks and less running Rugby is just hilarious.

No scrums from free kicks? Gosh, the Boks did it once and they ban it😂🤣😅

Rassie's silence on this means the Boks already have a plan in place 🇿🇦🥳🎓

Scrums are great. They create space that can be attacked. That law change also gets rid of my favourite law which is you specificity can’t score a drop goal off the back of a scrum that had be chosen from a free kick. Always wanted to see it tried and the ref call play on to great confusion of fans and players lol

It will be interesting what unintended consequences come out of these

Like Eggchasers said - Defences are so good, Scrums take 16 players out of play - 8 on defence - soooo WHY would you take something away that causes more openings on the field??? So ironic since they want more linebreaks etc

Dr. Rassie re writing the the rulebook.

I watched highlights from the 2007 World Cup and 2009 Super Rugby playoffs recently. Setting scrums took less than 20 seconds and they did not collapse more than they do now. We don't need less scrums, they just need to get on with it. I watch many live rugby matches each week and also get bored when scrum resets take too long. TMO interference is definitely the biggest pain in the ass at this stage. It was so great rewatching those 2007 matches and referees just rewarding tries. A while ago I watched the 2005 Ashes highlights again and it was so cool seeing Rudy Koortzen just giving a batsman out without the inevitable review, which happens at every wicket now. Technology is over-reaching and World Rugby should pay more attention to that.

The less scrums at test level will lead to beefed up defences cutting down space. Here comes more kicking...

The scrum is for the big men of the team and it is a show of strength between the teams it is an important part of the game they are trying to kill! This is a very disappointing change by the World Rugby. The fans love a good scrum, It is so impressive when it is a good match between the teams.

I feel like mainstream media and commentators have also had a negative impact on the scrums and partially to blame for this law change. No built up excitement / detailed analysis of the scrums. Just complaining whenever there's another scrum. Although definitely agree that scrum resets and setting for the scrums takes way too much time from the game

Calling the mark from a kick off is just going to lead to more lineouts. Boks strategy isnt going to change, just adapt. If they dont want us to scrum, we'll maul. We want to put the poison in the opposition forwards legs. Only one stop at the maul means they'll just maul it more often. Im interested to see how long the refs give us to set the maul before they call use it. Cause if they dont give us enough time to get properly set, the maul can become quite dangerous as guys start trying to get go forward early. I dont think this is going to play out the way world rugby wants.

The ex-NZ coach Pysop law less scrums, made it. The same guy Foster who cry'splained that NZ vs Italy was clearly a better game than Boks vs France/Ireland, coz 1min more ball in play time.

Rassie, leaving a legacy. Should actually name law after Rassie. We can call it the "The Erasmus Law" 😂.

Its cool, Rassie was already 4 moves ahead of them. He already has another exploit for this.

Thanks for the updates Mark. Will be interesting to see what happens wjth these new laws. I love the scrums and really enjoyed Squidge rugby's recent deep dive on them- we need more education from the commentators and pundits not fewer scrums IMO

In the same week... WR: we need to reduce the amount of scrums. Squidge Rugby: here's an educational video to celebrate scrums and how integral they are to Rugby.

The mall 'use it once' 'use it twice' getting axed is a surprise to me..... Never thought it was an issue.

World rugby “ let’s change all the rules so the Boks can’t win!” Rassie “hold my beer”

Best Rugby analysis on RU-vid hands down!

Fully agree that rugby is synonymous with scrums and big collisions. But the amount of box kicks in a match these days have gotten out of hand. Personally I would do away either the caterpillar rule that would lead to far less injuries resulting from collisions in the air? Also fewer referrals to TMO for potential dangerous play. Anyone else that feels the same?

well said , but it was NZ that was making the biggest fuss because of their loss.

As a former lock and open side I loved scrum time, the only rule needed was the Dupont, everything else was fine. A 20 red card is possibly the worst one imo as we have a bunker let's let that work for a few years first yeah?

"Sour"Kerwin and Warren Gatland main instegaters to suit their countries style

Watch how the scrum law backfires over the next year or two and it will be back to the 'old' rule for the next world cup. Go bokke!

Watch older footage and how quick scrums happens. Bring that back.

Why don't they just stop the clock when a scrum is called and start it again when the scrum has set ?? ?

Thanks Two Cents!! Always keeping me up informed here in the states!

I just watch rugby occasionally (TV in general), or I would go back and watch an old game. It's generally not a good idea to cater to people like me who aren't glued to the screen. Whether the game is faster or slower, I'm still going to watch the same amount. Personally I never had a problem with scrums. It's like cricket, you watch how the match is played, not for the constant excitement.

Sounds like WR would prefer turning Union into League. Very hard to please WR

Scrums are iconic to Rugby, reducing the time it takes to have a scrum in place is fine, reducing the number of scrums is not. And not only SA loves scrums, we love the in FR too, mind you =) Regarding TMO, I see two main issues : interruptions and director influence. If you regulate what TMO can intervene on, you should regulate what the director is able to show you in the replay and in the stadium in the same way, don't you think?

The scrum one is especially ridiculous. It is blatantly obvious designed to put it to South Africa. The offside law is good, I think. Croc rolls are tricky. I agree with you that breakdowns are really difficult.

I like all of these changes, the current ones and the trial ones, except for the getting rid of the scrum option. Scrums open up the game and are such a cool and important part of the sport!

You should look into the stats for how many scrums are chosen, I was surprised to see Willemse take a scrum, I hadn't seen any before...

Very interesting and thanks Mark for talking us through it! Indeed it appears WR are doing their best to justify their existence or reason to go to a meeting!😎

"Pulling of a player on their feet" Jasus was that ever legal

Shocking! I love the scrum

Well it’s cheaper than building new flood defences around the Aviva stadium and Twickenham Stadium

Lol the research on Fatigue clearly shows more replacements == less injuries. Would be interesting to see what they decide.

Excellent explanation and analysis. Thanks.

Well done for getting Damian's Surname spot on very refreshing.....do you miss south african teams in super rugby maybe worth a video

About the bench. Just an idea, what if each side had 10 players on the bench, but could only use 7? I think it would make it super tactical between teams and it could be fun… Rassie would find a way to play with it in his favor, but it gives others a fair and realistic chance to counter it? Perhaps more backs against forwards and run around the forwards! Or counter it by bringing on your own new pack? It could add a super fun element to our amazing game? Anyway great video thanks for the content

Seems pretty good to me, the one around scrums maybe not so sure. Biggest issue with scrums for me is when they reset so often and the time it takes.

Consistency and TMO - Agreed!

Saw another law change somewhere which will improve the game enormously: "The offside line at scrum for the non-putting-in scrumhalf will be the middle of the tunnel." Always thought the scrumhalf is under unfair pressure behind the scrum which leads to a large percentage of failed backline moves.

People who do not like scrums are people who doesn't understand the laws and nuances behind it, or at least an appreciation for it, not that I have it all under the knee. The solution to this is greater clarity on the application of the rules, but scrums are what make rugby, rugby

It's kind of tragic. I introduced two of my American friends to rugby recently and they loved the scrum time and how it was a different style of test in sports. (they would call it the human bridge before remembering it as scrum though 🤣) Most of the people I've introduced to the game have really enjoyed the set pieces like the scrum and the Lineout so it does feel like it's leaning the wrong way from my experience. Suppose will just have to see how it goes.

Yeah agree with croc rolls and dangerous play of any kind in general. I think 20min red cards are a good thing for genuine mistakes where players are tackled in the air etc etc. Heavier sanctions where players deliberately cause injuries or possible injuries to other players need VERY heavy sanctions. Most people who see scrums for the first time, love it. They are very intrigued by it. People also love the physicality of rugby when they see it. Big tackles, big hits. So I think scrums can stay, even for free kicks, just speed them up a bit. Some scrum halves take an eternity to get the ball out. I am all in favor of speeding the game up, but then you need to be careful of leaning towards 7's style or NRL type vibes. Which already exists? Just my 2c As always, keep up the good work!!

"Dr Erasmus" saying "we know what they don"t know" explains everything.

If u dont like scrums go watch rugby league

Scrums, gotta be worried. I really prefer fans to learn /be educated for scrums rather than have fewer scrums. I am happy with the shot clock on scrums and lineouts tho. Not a fan of the stoppages and "timeouts". Mauls, not happy. Don't think they should mess with mauls. Dupont law, so happy they've sorted this. Genuinely thought players must always retreat until onside so glad it's going back to the law that shouldn't have been changed. Croc rolls, this one will be interesting to see how players get cleaned out. Hopefully a positive to get rid of it All the rest, very weird. It really does seem like they're addressing things that weren't really a problem (to me)

I like the trialed line outs thats a good thing hate it when the ABs don't contest line outs it leads to bad things, and they really need to do something about accidental head clashes and the replacement changes no problem with that i can remember when they got rid of rucking because the ABs were too dominant....

Can't blame them for tinkering with the laws to reduce chance of injury. Can't blame them much for trying to reduce the number of scrums. EXCEPT the problem is not the number of scrums but how long it takes to set the scrum to begin with, and how long it takes for the endless resets. I'd favor a max of one reset, and only for the initial setting of the scrum. After that one side or the other gets either a free kick or a penalty kick at the discretion of the ref, neither of which may be (re-)taken as a scrum. Completely agree with your position on TMO interference, the Dupont Law, and the Croc roles.

The lineout law feels weird to me. It will incentivize teams in their attacking 22 to gamble and not throw straight. It could paradoxically result in more delay. Re TMO, I would like the TMO to be applied only on the egregious things, like foul play, miles forward pass, foot in touch, etc., but I would like the TMO to simply overrule the ref. Instead of: “Billy, I’ll show you a picture of a forward pass.” there should be an announcement to the ref: “forward pass on the ten meter line, scrum blue.” Lastly, I’m one of those who love scrums. It’s the most technical rugby discipline, the ultimate teamwork of power and technique. I don’t want less of it, but more. People often forget, that scrums temporarily turn rugby union into sevens, they provide so much space for a running attack. This craze is a result of all the league fifth column, that has infiltrated rugby. They’re trying to change rugby into league, while forgetting that there already is league for those five people around the world who even care. Words can’t express how silly it is to try and model rugby after an orders of magnitude less popular sport in order to get it more popular. It’s as if ice hockey tried to become more popular by emulating bandy. It’s just bone-chillingly dumb. “LeT’s GeT pEoPlE iN tHe StAnDs.” Have you ever tried to get to a La Rochelle home game? People spend years on a waiting list for season tickets.

I like the throw in rule. it will be interesting close to the try line.

The one about removing scrums from free kicks is a silly change as I think it’s great for teams to have different options to play off. I do like the changes about the DuPont Law, croc calls, putting time limits on set pieces and the 20 minute red cards. The replacement numbers I’m kinda on the fence about atm. The TMO interjections definitely need addressing.

I like the no contest trial at the lineouts. Often a ball is slightly skew and the opposition wouldn't have won it if it was straight anyways because there wasn't a man contesting in the air.

I don't think it was about the scrums per sey (as all the saffas obviously believe) but slowing down the play. The scrums soak up a few minutes and the way some teams slowly organising it is the reason. Mark my words, if you don't see an improvement in organising after stopping play I think that'll be the next thing to improve

I like those changes! I think it genuinely reduces / simplifies things. As for the TMO, they don’t have a whistle for a reason! They need to use a sighting review board and not interrupt the game. They are a resource for the ref. If the ref asks them to review.. then they review. If they see stuff that isn’t caught then they can log it for post game review of its foul play. If there are bad calls on the play… it is what it is! Upgrade the ref skills or don’t invite them back.

As a casual Rugby follower I must say that the rules can be confusing at times.

More tired bodies means more injuries BTW.

Totally agree with the Croc Roll being out, more a player safety thing. With removing the scrum option at free kick time, it would make more sense to limit the repacks of a scrum before a penalty, instead of a free kick. I love a scrum, but hate it when we spend 10 minutes on the same postage stamp packing repacking, free-kick, pack a scrum, re-pack. Screw that put the full arm out quicker.

To be honest, I think in a game there are more penalties from scrums than free kicks (from scrums) - so in truth this law does not improve ball in play time significantly. What id does do is give a weaker team an exit strategy by allowing them to give away a free kick (rather than a penalty) with no huge consequence. I guarantee that the rate of free kicks (from scrums specifically) will increase.

So bad scrums will just happily sabotage a scrum knowing most refs won’t immediately give penalties. That’s an absolute joke.

For some reason scrums have become viewed as a stop in play. It bugs me when the scrums are both still up neither moving, and the ref says use it! Why a Scrum is ball in play, neither has gone down why must they use it, they are using it at the back off the scrum. Banning calling a scrum from a mark seems unnecessary, it has only ever been used once and it is risky. Even against England there was some discussion in the team about using it again, but Pollard over ruled and kicked instead. It was a very specific use in a very specific game against a very specific opponent, and most everyone loved the innovation and the risk taking of it. Except for the pundits we have that seem to hate rugby.

Rassie will force defensive teams to concede a penalty, we kick for touch therefore more line outs and driving mauls. The time it now takes to complete two scrums and kick for touch is insane or he creates tap and go set pieces.

There is nothing better, in my opinion, than the anticipation in waiting for the scrum to set. Each 90 seconds or so of sheer excitement. Then the contest of the ball going into the second rows feet to be held at the number 8s feet, whilst we wait, all looking for the ref to put his arm out. Then and only then does the ball come out and people try to do something with it. I love it. I prefered the days when milking penalties was easier though. Game has never been the same since the kill joys at World rugby banned dummying from the base of ruck or maul.

The way the game is heading I feel sorry for the heavies up front they will no longer be needed if it continues like this

if you dont like scrums, then maybe try golf, they dont feature a lot in that sport

Spot on, Boss.

the goal of the scrum call was possession for the boks. same principle as keeping the ball that last 3-5 min of the game... then surely both must change??

RUGBY LEAGUE - another law change and we will have full on League as opposed to Union 😞

Tbh im glad about the free kick thing, it means far less scrum resets and teams now will very likely tap and go near the try line speeding the game up

Incidents of serious foul play that have been missed by the Ref and ARs must be called out by the TMO. Don't silence the TMO.

Simple have each team be able to call 1 tmo a match. The ref cant call the tmo , and the tmo cant interject unless its a head injury

TMO: Each team captaim have 2 white cards per half. The Ref call the game with AR as they see it. The captain can refer to TMO if found correct retain the card else loose it. Thus pressure on the teams to play clean visible rugby and flow will be a consequence

IMHO us online rugby punters should probably try to bear in mind that we are in an echo chamber of rugby tragics and that skews our perception of what rugby fans want. Like it or not, a huge amount of money is generated for rugby by fans who are relatively casual. They get swept up in the prestige and intrigue of world cups, or the fair weather excitement when a local team is doing well or the fun of being part of the roar of the crowd. That's not the same as being super into the intricacies of laws and tactics and whatnot and that colours the aspects of the game they enjoy & what they want to see less of & more of.

The replacements thing is silly also because more tired bodies on the field "to create space" would lead to more injuries surely?

That scrum call in the semi was so epic tho, the risk and absolute balls to make such a decision in a match of that caliber was awesome. It seems World Rugby are anti-entertainment and want to force teams into less creative play styles

Not sure about the new free kick no scrum change. Scrums are part of the contest so if a team has a dominant scrum they should be able to use it as a weapon.

Razor must be very happy with new rules. Speed game is that he wanted.

Ive already thought of a consequence of the scrum law change that will do directly the opposite of what WR want. If scrums are no longer as important (There is less of them, or weaker teams simply concede a free kick and thats it) Then you can have more mobile props instead of scrum specialists. Typically the best scrummagers are not as quick around the park and leave gaps for attacking. More mobile props will mean there is less space and less room to attack. Changes will forever keep leading to more and more changes.

Said something similar in a previous reply to a comment, but next law World Rugby will be adding is that games shouldn't be allowed to be played in wet and windy conditions as it doesn't "encourage more ball in flow". The way I see it is that basically the only thing that is going to change is the amount of penalties that are going to be given away a scrum time, honestly if I were a coach and the opposition gave away the first free kick I would hang the ball and let the chasers try and force another scrum. And then milk the penalties again. This isn't going to go how World Rugby is envisioning it at all, but tin foil hat time maybe they will use the increase in penalties at scrum time to try and depower it even more or worse make it uncontested like with League. Or it might become something like an American football thing where the coach needs to perfectly time his get out of jail free card to deny the opposition a scrum penalty. Which would bolster the tactics but in the wrong way. Maybe Rassie has already figure this out as well.

I'd like to see a change around when the ref is calling an on field decision either a try or no try but needs to go to the tmo because he's not 100% but the tmo cannot over turn that decision unless its 100% clear and obvious. This has had a huge impact on the game's final outcome purely by the implications of the regs wording. Surely if he's not 100% sure and needs to go to the tmo then it should be open to the same rules as if he asked the tmo, try yes or no.

You've got a point mate, the only people I've heard saying scrums are a blight have been commentators, who must have been asked to highlight it.. kiwis and their sr teams are going to think scrums are great :P sad day for y'all

TMO should mainly be involved in dangerous play decisions and if a try is not legal etc.

I honestly think that the “free kick” law change can work in favour of teams with powerful mauls. They just need to hone their technique in creating a legal maul, and it’s game over.

About bloody time 💯✅

The throw-in v contesting is bonkers

Totally agree -stop mucking about and leave laws alone-more ball in play just requires refs to rule properly-put ball in straight to line out and scrum BUT the biggest impact is to rule offside properly-so many teams are yards offside and assistant refs and ref ignore that-as for TMO don’t get me started-the ref and his assistants are in charge -the TMO is only on request and should “haud his wheest”

Alot of the focus from WR seems to be about kicking the can down the road and avoiding real issues such as TMO, inconsistent referreeing (interpretation nonsense) and a host of other issues, all focused on poor quality of officiating in general. The croc-roll and Du Pont law seem like the only relevant points. Everything else, red card rule and everything else, all about blind eye to a genuine concern about officiating concerns.

I'm all good with these but not the maul one as mauls pull in defences and are important but they should allow mauls to be pulled down 5m out from the try line.

So they're not clarifying the charge-down rule? So you can sprint before the kicker lifts a foot from the ground? I see. Should be interesting...

TMO's should only get involved if they are specifically asked to do so by the ref, if they're not asked they should remain silent

Are you planning on doing analysis on Olympic Sevens?