Former World Cup-winning Springbok coach Jake White has slammed critics of World Rugby’s new scrum laws as ‘naive’
Jake White, the current Bulls boss, has hit out at ‘conspiracy theorists’ who believe there’s a hidden agenda behind World Rugby’s approval of a set of law changes.
BACKSTORY: LAW AMENDMENTS SPARKED DEBATE
World Rugby is facing criticism, mostly from South Africa, for enacting three new laws, one of which would render the Springboks’ main weapon ineffective.
The modifications have been presented by World Rugby as “fan-focused law changes” meant to increase “rugby’s entertainment value,” but many South Africans have taken a different stand.
One in particular has infuriated Springbok supporters since teams will no longer be able to choose to scrum after receiving a free kick.
JAKE WHITE SIDES WITH WORLD RUGBY OVER LAW CHANGE THAT UNDERMINES SPRINGBOKS
When asked about the law change that’ll negatively impact the Springboks and SA Rugby during a press conference of Friday, Bulls director of rugby White gave an opposing view.
“I know there are conspiracy theories about why that happened, because certain teams have strong scrums. I want to explain that the laws of rugby are made for schoolkids. They are not made for professionals,” White said.
“People who read into it are being naive. As an example, you used to have what was called a squeeze-ball, where Once upon a time, a player would push the ball through his legs while on all fours. Prior to its cancellation, it was a significant event.
When schoolchildren witness it, they emulate the actions of Malcolm Marx and Lawrence Dallaglio. Those guys are strong-necked dudes. If a child is caught doing it, he becomes paralyzed when someone falls on him. Then, parents object to their children playing rugby, White went on.
In light of that, restricting the number of scrums will encourage more children to play rugby. No one is advocating for the depowering of the scrum. To be fair, school rugby scrumping is restricted to pushing a maximum of 1.5 meters.
“All I’m saying is that there’s no conspiracy,” White added. “The lawmakers will have to work out how many free kicks they make at scrum time now [prior to issuing a penalty] because there’s going to be a lot more experimenting. It’s the way with coaches. It’s sometimes preferable to give up a free kick than to hold a scrum.
I want to emphasize to everyone that the rules of the game are in place to encourage more players and to keep things safer. It has nothing to do with certain teams’ disinterest in scrum.
“It makes no sense to me. The dominant scrum teams don’t seem to be at a disadvantage in my opinion. A penalty can still be awarded from a free kick. You then give away yardage. Who knows, perhaps scrumming will get better?,” White said in closing..
