Australia and New Zealand are reportedly pushing for radical changes to rugby’s laws, including proposals that could see scrums replaced by mauls.
That is the claim made by former Test referee Mathieu Raynal following heated discussions at World Rugby’s Shape of the Game summit in London.
Administrators and officials have gathered to debate potential law tweaks ahead of the 2027 World Cup, but the talks have exposed a growing divide between hemispheres.
South Africa is understood to have aligned with France and other northern nations in defending what it sees as the traditional fabric of the game, while Australia and New Zealand are said to favour reforms aimed at speeding it up.
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Raynal, now manager of Top 14 and Pro D2 referees, told L’Equipe: “They’re targeting time-consuming phases, moments of collective possession, in order to increase actual playing time.
“In some cases, they want to replace scrums with mauls. Currently, there are calls to allow the collapse of mauls, it’s important to know that.
“We believe these zones are powerful symbols of our sport … In the long run, the rugby that New Zealand and Australia advocate will homogenise player profiles. We’ll end up with only back rowers or centres. This will have an impact on the democratisation of our sport.”
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Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
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