Ex-Scotland coach and outspoken pundit Matt Williams has taken a not-so-subtle swipe at the Springboks while criticising World Rugby’s ‘fan-focused’ law trials.
Following a World Rugby Council meeting last November, it was confirmed that several law trials would be implemented globally from 1 January 2025.
“A package of law trials aimed at enhancing fan and player experience will be adopted as a global trial across all competitions from next year after the World Rugby Council voted in favour of change,” a World Rugby statement read.
These included time for conversion dropping to 60 seconds aligning with penalties. Lineouts and scrums are also supposed be set-up within 30 seconds to reduce downtime in matches while there is a ‘play-on rule’ when a lineout is not thrown straight but the opposition does not contest.
Additionally, scrum-halves have been provided with better protection during scrums, rucks, and mauls.
However, the proposals for a global law trial to call a mark inside the 22-metre line at kick-off and restarts and for single-stop mauls did not receive the required 75 per cent support so will not proceed while there was a further revision in the TMO protocol.
World Rugby oligarchs
Williams, though, was not pleased with all the changes but more particularly the lack of law alterations concerning the scrums.
He hit out at the ‘oligarchs’ in World Rugby who are blocking changes as they would not suit their game. Williams is a long-time critic of the Springboks and particularly Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber’s tactics in their use of their replacements.
In the past he has stated that their ‘Bomb Squad’ is ‘abusing safety laws’ as he believes that teams should not be allowed to load up their bench with far more forwards than backs.
Additionally, he believes that the Springboks coaches’ decision to select 7-1 and 6-2 bench splits in favour of the forwards ‘discriminates against backs’.
“The prime example of how hard law reformists have to work inside World Rugby can be seen in the simple law change at scrums, which now requires the defending scrumhalf to remain level with their front rowers. He is not permitted to follow the ball through the opposition scrum to harass the attacking nine,” Williams wrote in his Irish Times column.
“I have stated this before in the column but the incredulous circumstances regarding the journey of this law demand repeating. After a series of horrific spinal scrum injuries, Australian schools first introduced this law across all under-19 matches in the mid-1980s.
“The concept was simple. Get the ball out of the scrum as fast as possible to reduce the chance of spinal injury. The attacking team liberated the ball from the scrum faster so scrum penalties were reduced and more attacking rugby was played.
“It has taken almost 40 years for this simple law change to reach World Rugby decision makers. The original schoolboys who played under this law are now approaching 60.”
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“Very pro-scrum penalty”
Williams’ celebration of the law being introduced in stark contrast to the views of ex-England back Austin Healey who is strongly against the change but the former Scotland coach had a few caveats to his view.
He is not pleased that it is still just a trial and believes ‘pro-scrum penalty’ oligarchs are stopping further changes to suit their game.
“Before I crow too loudly, we must remember that almost 40 years since its introduction this law remains a “trial law”. Unbelievably, World Rugby’s oligarchs – who I assume are very pro-scrum penalty – require more testing. This is the perfect example of the exasperating state of affairs facing law reform within rugby,” he continued.
“World Rugby also rejected the proposed law that would have mauls being allowed to stop only once.
“Ask yourself, which national teams do not want faster scrums? Those who benefit the most from longer scrums that have a higher chance of finishing with a penalty so they can maul the following lineout have joined forces to defeat this much-needed reform.
“Mauls are a major factor in the imbalance between backs and forwards as hookers, at the back of mauls, are now three times more likely to score a try than a centre – because the ball never gets to the backs.
“Countries whose national teams possess giant mauling packs do not want this advantage reduced.”
Williams also bemoans that World Rugby have not reviewed any scrum laws and believes that the set-piece is no longer just for the purpose of restarting play as it reads in the law book.
“Scrums should restart play, not create swarms of match-defining penalties, which have had the effect of metamorphosing scrums into an unmitigated calamity for backlines who are starved of possession” he continued.
“At their core, scrum penalties are the foundation for the abuse of the safety laws that now allow 7-1 and 6-2 replacement benches, that discriminate against backs as coaches attempt to exploit these scrum laws to gain penalties by selecting 15 forwards and only 8 backs. A selection mixture that at the lower levels of the game is blatantly dangerous.”
He added: “According to a World Rugby statement, they want to enhance the “Fan Experience”. These are, “The moments in the game that really engage fans.” When players run with the ball in hand, rugby is the greatest spectator sport on the globe.
“However, with 28 penalties a match, many from scrums, added to multiple stoppages for replacements and TMO talk-a-thons, Ball in Play times across many international matches falls below 30 minutes. None of this is enhancing the “Fan Experience”.
“World Rugby’s November law conclave has laid bare the truly Herculean task that awaits new World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson and the hard-working staff around him, because it is clear that in reality, the oligarchs are in control.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/matt-williams-claims-world-rugby-oligarchs-are-blocking-laws-that-dont-benefit-springboks-as-they-continue-to-discriminate-against-backs
