Top referees will clamp down on scrummaging technique in a bid to stabilise the set-piece during November’s Nations Championship fixtures as World Rugby seeks greater alignment in officiating across the sport.
Match officials in the 12-team competition, and the Nations Cup which sits beneath it, have been provided with specialist input from figures including former Wales captain Jon Humphreys and Warren Gatland to refine and clarify their processes.
Of particular focus will be on loosehead props ensuring they do not show a “tucked” right shoulder, with front rows encouraged to be temple-to-temple on engagement and ensure space is provided to tightheads to scrummage. The importance of the brake foot has also been emphasised in keeping players safe, while officials have also been asked to only reward teams who establish their dominance in a straight line, rather than at an angle.
There was significant discussion around the scrum during South Africa and New Zealand’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, with officials keen to preserve the contest as a key battleground.
All 24 head coaches were invited into World Rugby’s officiating camp to meet with decision-makers with a year to go until the World Cup, both with a view to ensuring clarity ahead of November and with a longer-term view towards the shape of the game.
The governing body’s data shows that ball in play time in matches featuring the world’s top 12 nations has swelled by more than two minutes since 2024, with stoppages down 10 per cent.
The average number of tries per game has increased from 6.3 to 8.2, with successful penalty kicks falling from 3.5 to 1.5 in a sign of an evolving sport. Changes in the kick-to-pass ratio also suggest that teams are more willing to play a greater number of phases with ball-in-hand.
Coaches are understood to have been relatively happy with the officiating of the breakdown, though World Rugby has moved to refine its head contact process to make decision-making clearer in that area. Mitigating factors such as a late change in dynamics will be considered provided a player arrives in control and attempting a legal clearout even if head contact is made.
Teams have also been provided with detail on the implementation of the “knee-drop” and “hip-drop” tackle laws. The latter of these will draw stiffer sanction should a player fall directly on the legs of a ball carrier having made a tackle from behind given the risk of serious injury. A challenge of this type made with significant force will be punished with a 20-minute red card.
A knee-drop tackle fails to stay on their feet before making a tackle, placing a knee on the floor. It will generally be sanctioned with just a penalty, and is unlikely to be strictly enforced around the try line as defensive players attempt to stay low and prevent the ball being grounded.
World Rugby is also separately planning to use biometric testing of fans to better ascertain supporter engagement within the sport. A research project is underway with hand-held sensors taking physiological readings to determine when watchers do and don’t engage, both in stadia and at home.
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