It’s time to stop this untouchable scrum-half sham

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NICK CAIN

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 fierce drive on Williams was not high, and he came straight through the middle of the ruck, and from “behind the hindmost foot”, as the law dictates.

The initial contact which knocked Lonergan off his feet was from Williams. Although there appeared to be further contact with the scrum-half from Wiese – when he tried to grip Williams with his right arm and also inadvertently trapped Lonergan’s left arm – it was only as a result of his legitimate clearance of the Australian lock.

However, the referee, Italy‘s

Andrea Piardi, applying the letter of this lousy new law cooked up by World Rugby laws committees, stated that Wiese “had played the 9“ and conceded a penalty.

It was a complete travesty in a sport founded on fair contests for possession. As a result, Lonergan, who was outstanding for Australia in both his scrum-half and goal-kicking duties (6/7), kicked the penalty to give the host nation a 30-17 lead.

“Great players like Gareth Edwards and Antoine Dupont weren’t in need of special protection”

As predicted in this column in February 2025, when the law was about to be introduced in the Six Nations, this has had the nonsensical consequence of making scrum-half the only protected position on the pitch.

Around almost every element of the contest for possession, 9s are now almost untouchable. Whether it is the scrum, where they can pick up from a retreating base without the worry of being sacked by their opposite number, or the ludicrous deci-

sion to give scrum-halves immunity from contact when they are within a metre of a ruck, maul, or tackle, it is an anti-competitive mess.

The words I’ve come to dread most as a consequence of World Rugby’s law tinkering are referees telling other players “penalty – you can’t touch the 9”.

The crux of the argument around most of these laws is that they are not only anti-competitive, but also encourage referees to become involved in too many aspects of the game.

Referees play a crucial role in rugby union, but they are in danger of being pushed into a cul-de-sac of criticism because of bad laws introduced by World Rugby.

The world governing body needs to be reminded that rugby union is first and foremost a players’ game that referees are there to facilitate, not dominate.

A core principle of rugby union is that it is about multiple areas of contest – scrums, lineouts, restarts, rucks, mauls, high balls, tackles, and breakdowns – in which, prior to World Rugby‘s laws vandalism, possession was constantly changing hands.

The unpredictability of those contests, and their impact on the ebb and flow of matches, was far more entertaining than the current guar-

antees of serial possession which are strangling the game.

Whether it is over-protection for 9s, or crooked scrum feeds or lineout throws, or multiple penalties awarded to teams using deliberate obstruction from 5 metre lineout drives until they score, there is a clear message: The removal of constant legitimate competition for the ball diminishes the game.

It is time to call a halt to World Rugby’s laws manipulation, and the demands it places on referees to create monopolies of possession in numerous, and ever-increasing, areas of play.

The idea that these new laws make rugby union more entertaining has taken such a battering that most should be scrapped. A good start would be to repeal the law wrapping scrum-halves in cotton wool.

It is a position that has produced some of the greatest players in the sport, from Gareth Edwards to Fourie du Preez, Aaron Smith, and Antoine Dupont, and, closer to home, Matt Dawson and Kyran Bracken.

None of them required special protection, and there’s nothing in the wiry Lonergan’s game to suggest he does.

It’s time to scrap this untouchable scrum-half sham.