New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie has doubled down on his criticism of South Africa’s scrum tactics and called on World Rugby to simplify the set-piece.
The All Blacks and Springboks played out a fierce four-Test series this summer, with the world champions eventually claiming a 3-1 series victory.
However, the rugby was accompanied by a war of words away from the pitch.
Rennie was particularly frustrated by what he viewed as South Africa slowing down the game around the scrum.
Now the All Blacks boss has renewed his criticism while questioning the brake-foot law used at the set-piece.
World Rugby introduced the brake foot as a Global Law Trial in 2022. It requires hookers to have one foot forward during the “crouch” and “bind” phases before it can be removed on “set”.
The governing body says the measure was introduced to improve stability and reduce pressure on the heads and necks of front-row players.
World Rugby later issued a further clarification on the brake foot after questions were raised over how the law should be applied.
Rennie calls for scrum change
Speaking on Newstalk ZB's Weekend Sport with Jason Pine, Rennie said: “It’s the frustrating part of a game, to be honest. I made mention of it during the series.
“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.
“It’s an area where I don’t believe the referees were fully committed to it either and so we just got different messages in the changing room before every Test in July.
“So some might be saying, ‘Oh look, just give me something’. Others are saying, ‘You got to make sure you have your foot out there’.”
Rennie believes the law has added another layer of difficulty for referees rather than making the scrum easier to control.
He also questioned the requirement around the position of a hooker's foot.
“Then what came in is that if you had your foot out there but you didn’t have your heel down, you’re gonna get penalised for that,” he said.
“I’ve got no understanding around the value of 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.”
'Delete rules, not add more'
Rennie ultimately wants rugby's lawmakers to simplify the game.
“We’ve got a game where I reckon we’re going to delete rules and things out of a game, not add more,” he added.
The New Zealand boss argued referees are being asked to monitor the brake foot while also looking for more obvious scrum offences.
He added: “The referee can invariably only see one of those feet because the nine is blocking the path on some sides.
“So then they are missing the obvious angles, the obvious elbows.”
His latest comments are likely to reignite the scrum debate after a fiercely contested series between two of international rugby's biggest rivals.
