Nigel Owens has made his position on the law tweak after World Rugby outlawed the escort runners, which has created a greater contest for possession.<\/p>\n
The game\u2019s governing body implemented the change back in 2024 and has been met with mixed reactions and contrasting views.<\/p>\n
Essentially, players are no longer allowed to run blocking lines to prevent the chasing team from getting to the ball quicker. This has led to more aerial contests for possession and, according to the Springboks<\/a> coaches, fewer collisions in the air.<\/p>\n Springboks coaches\u2019 viewpoint<\/p>\n Head coach Rassie Erasmus believes that it has been a positive change because there is a contest for possession, which is fundamental to the sport while his assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says it has also made the game safer.<\/p>\n \u201cWith all the law changes around the high balls, I haven\u2019t seen any dangerous contests in the past two years,\u201d Stick said on the Rassie+ <\/a>podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cI probably watched thousands and thousands of kicks when I analyse games, and usually the people who were bringing the danger into the contest were the third parties. The people around the contest area where the ball was landing, that\u2019s where it was dangerous. I have to compliment World Rugby because the law change has cleaned up everything around there.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, the Bok coaches believe that it has had a positive impact on the way the game is played as there is less kick tennis occurring. Meanwhile, Japan boss Eddie Jones believes that South Africa are 50% better than any other team<\/a> in the world in this area of the game and has tabled a law tweak that would depower that strength.<\/p>\n He has urged World Rugby to introduce a \u2018disruption law\u2019<\/a> that would prevent players from slapping the ball in the air as they would need to make a genuine attempt to catch the ball.<\/p>\n World Rugby \u2018going in the right direction\u2019 as Springboks coaches celebrate law tweak amid England and Ireland moans<\/a><\/p>\n Nigel Owens\u2019 stance<\/p>\n Former international referee Owens has now weighed in on the debate in answering a fan-submitted question on World Rugby\u2019s Whistle Watch<\/a> program.<\/p>\n The debate around the contest in the air was raised once again this past week after England\u2019s Henry Arundell got the timing of his chase all wrong and ended up taking Kyle Steyn out in the air.<\/p>\n Owens agreed with Stick\u2019s statement that those collisions are less prevalent in the game since the removal of the escorts and agreed that it is now safer. The ex-official did however suggest that referees should be mindful of how the aerial collisions occur.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a bit of empathy here because if you\u2019re running for the ball and as I\u2019m getting to you, you now decide to jump. If you\u2019re jumping with momentum and you\u2019re going to go into me, there\u2019s nothing I should do,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we need to keep the game safe, what I think you need to look at is if this guy jumps up and then I sort of stop and I don\u2019t follow through and he lands into me, then that\u2018<\/a>s play on. The fact that you\u2019ve just jumped before me shouldn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n \u201cLike the Arundell one for example, if you jump and I was in no position to avoid that because I didn\u2019t compete for the ball and I\u2019ve just then momentum has taken me into you, then that should be dealt with as foul play. So I think that would be the fair way to deal with that contact in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n