Rugby Figures Reject Calls to Depower Scrum After Springboks’ Dublin Domination

Critics say weakening the set-piece would erode the game’s diversity, harming grassroots rugby.

Overview

Former coach Matt Williams renewed his push to reduce the scrum’s influence after Ireland’s loss to South Africa, prompting swift public rebuttals from ex-referee Nigel Owens and former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman.
South Africa beat Ireland 24-13 in Dublin with overwhelming scrum pressure that produced a penalty try and repeated sanctions, including yellow cards for both Irish props Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy.
Owens warned that further depowering would make union resemble league and remove a pathway for traditional props, while Jackman urged teams to improve rather than “dumb it down.”
Coverage notes World Rugby has already removed the scrum option from free kicks and introduced time limits, with no new measures announced beyond those procedural changes.
Proposed alternatives focus on law application and technology, including stricter central feeding and hooking, downgrading most scrum offences to free kicks, and using overhead cameras or TMO input to police illegal angles.