‘They’re irritating’ – Respected ex-SA ref backs World Rugby’s controversial scrum law change
South Africa scrummaging v England in Rugby World Cup and former South African referee Tappe Henning.
Referees chief Tappe Henning insists that World Rugby are not purposefully targeting the Springboks after claims they are depowering the scrum.
The governing body have introduced a law, which comes into effect from July 1, which prevents teams from taking a scrum after a free-kick has been awarded.
That means we won’t be seeing scenes such as Damian Willemse calling for a scrum from a mark, like the full-back did at the Rugby World Cup.
South African anger
It has caused controversy, especially in South Africa, who feel that they are being unfairly targeted by the governing body, but United Rugby Championship referees boss Henning rejects that notion.
“It is not about that decision,” he told rugby365.com. “It is about the reset of the scrum and the time it takes to reset a scrum – sometimes repeatedly.
“A free-kick from a scrum, which is a technical infringement, brings another scrum, then another scrum. We’ve had occasions where both teams – when attempting to get scrum dominance – would select another scrum from a free kick.
“It is something spectators don’t enjoy and they have spoken about it.
“World Rugby has done research about how many times that happens in a game. The decision was based on that, it wasn’t based on one team or one decision.”
Henning is a former South African match official and had a stint in charge of the referees at SA Rugby before he took on a role with the URC.
He insists that the scrum can still be used as a weapon but that most fans were getting annoyed by the number of scrum resets.
‘An integral part of the game’
“I spoke to one of our coaches in a feedback session about that aspect,” he said. “We discussed the scrums, which were a challenge in the Ospreys versus Munster URC quarter-final, and the importance of maintaining and protecting the set-piece.
“Scrums and mauls create space – bringing 16 players into a small space and leaving space out wide. It is an integral part of the game that should remain.
“It is what makes rugby union different from other sports – not just the contest for the ball, but also the set-piece contest – like rugby league and other sports similar to our game.
“We have to make some adjustments to make it more attractive, but a good scrum and a good maul is also attractive. We, the purists. would like to see that stay in the game and we support that.
“However, those resets are becoming irritating, even for the purists. We are protecting that and it remains in integral part of the game. I believe it will never disappear from the game.”
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