Rassie Erasmus reveals World Rugby directive after Springboks law enforcement plea: ‘I couldn’t answer them’
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and an inset of a skewed scrum feed by Italy.
Rassie Erasmus has revealed that World Rugby has implemented a directive to referees for the Nations Championship concerning scrum feeds.
Last year, the Springboks head coach accused Italy of avoiding the set-piece battle when the two teams faced off in July, with their scrum-half feeding the scrum incredibly skewed.
It’s a real bugbear for many fans, players and coaches that number nines don’t get penalised for failing to feed the scrum straight as per law 19.15.f, which reads: “When both sides are square, stable and stationary, the scrum-half throws in the ball: Straight. The scrum-half may align their shoulder on the middle line of the scrum, thereby standing a shoulder-width closer to their side of the scrum.”
Against the spirit of the game debate
12 months ago, the Springboks debuted their midfield lineout tactics to form a maul and also deliberately kicked a restart short to start the game with a scrum against the Azzurri.
Those two ploys came under scrutiny with Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada slamming the restart as ‘disrespectful’ while former international referee Nigel Owens also criticised the midfield maul.
“The problem with that play is that you are unable to tackle the player in the air or his support jumpers, so you can not defend it or compete,” he wrote on social media platform X.
That was in reply to a post which read: “Dull, and not in the spirit of the game. It might be intuitive, but that doesn’t make it fun in the long term.”
Erasmus responded on social media shortly afterwards with a clip of the Italian half-back feeding the ball into a scrum, denying the Springboks a contest for possession.
“I guess one can always argue what is against the spirit of the game!! Some teams avoid scrums, and others make sure they get scrums! Who’s wrong?” the Bok boss wrote in the caption that included a shrugging emoji.
Shape of the game discussion on skewed scrum feeds
Skewed scrum feeds are clearly an issue for Erasmus and the Springboks, particularly considering their dominance at the set-piece. However, the head coach says that they are not the only ones who want more policing of the illegal action – evident by the fact that French referees were directed to clamp down on the law last season in the Top 14 and Pro D2.
Erasmus says that it was a topic of discussion at the Shape of the Game meeting, which he attended.
“The scrum feed, we are still trying to get that to be fed straight and everybody hooks and so on; that would be great if we get there one day, but I think everybody was heard there,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a great way of communicating, I think, the way World Rugby handled it. There were certainly things that we thought could be done differently, but they were always fair in every single department.
“For example, the scrum, we were really hoping that that could be straight, but for various reasons, that could not be. I must say the communication we’re getting currently from Joel Jugte [Head of World Rugby Referees], and there’s a new scrum guy, Jonathan Humphreys – it was Mike Cron.
“The communication they’re getting to us says it’s early, it’s on time, we know what’s going on, we know what the protocols are. So in long answer, yes. We are very happy, and we think it’s going to have a massive impact where people will actually push back on them all, and you can’t drag it. It’s the same for us.”
The question that changed Rassie Erasmus’ mind
While frustrated that a hard line couldn’t be drawn on skewed feeds into the scrum, Erasmus understood the reasoning and was pleased by how the discussions were mediated by the game’s governing body.
“It was raised at the Shape of the Game; Joel did give an information page to us, and it was about the referees and the feed. Obviously the hooker must hook, and obviously the guy can’t stand on that side and put it in like that [very skew],” he gestured.
“The toughest thing, to be fair to the referees, is if it’s the last minute of the game and they have a scrum on their own goal line to defend and the guy throws it in this much [very little] skew.
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“Do you ref it as not in straight or do you say play on? I think the problem is just the ones that go like that [very skewed] and the hooker doesn’t hook at all. So, I think they’re trying to get it really right, and I understand why it’s so difficult to referee. So, I think it’s going to get better, but it is a frustrating part, obviously, if that’s a strength of your game, which it is for England.
“So I think they will be frustrated if that happened, and we will be frustrated, but Joel is definitely on that, and the referees are trying to get it right.”
Erasmus admits that the scrum isn’t his area of expertise and quickly realised why referees couldn’t strictly officiate feeds that weren’t straight when one question was posed to him.
“We asked about the scrum feed because, as we got the maul law being applied, now the scrum is the most treatable threat, and we asked the question; a lot of people asked the question, not just South Africa, and the answer was, how do you measure that in a vital scrum and it cost you the game? That’s a difficult one; I couldn’t answer them back because, if it this much skew, can we now give them a free kick if the opposition wins the game, or a penalty if it happens twice?
“So I think the English scrum is strong; I don’t think they necessarily have that problem. There are definitely teams who have that problem, but I’m not saying England’s one of them.”
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World Rugby directive to referees
While speaking at the press conference, Erasmus received a message from the Springboks scrum guru Daan Human who provided the head coach with insight into the referee’s directive for the upcoming international window.
“Daan must be listening to me; he just WhatsApp’d me saying that the directive is in the scrum: your left shoulder must be in the centre of the scrum when feeding it,” Erasmus revealed.
Springboks loosehead prop Ox Nche also weighed in and said that the pack will be more concerned about getting in sync.
“For us as a pack, it’s just about getting our timing right and reacting as soon as that ball is in because we have seen in the URC the referees have given a few free-kicks for the hookers not hooking or lifting their feet,” the 2025 World Rugby Player of the Year Nominee said.
“Our plan would be just to get our timing right and go as soon as the ball is in.”
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