Nothing illustrates the farcical nature of the “Protecting the 9” law introduced by World Rugby in 2025 more than an incident featuring Australia’s new star turn at scrum-half, Ryan Lonergan.
It came in the 52nd minute of the recent Australia v South Africa Test in Perth when a bulldozing text book counter-ruck by Springbok No.8 Jasper Wiese not only saw his team go unrewarded, but also concede a costly penalty.
It started with Wiese ramming Wallaby lock Jeremy Williams backwards at such a rate that he collided with his own team-mate, Lonergan, who was stooping to gather the ball.
Wiese’s f...