France has drawn a line in the mud \u2014 and this time, it\u2019s personal. Channeling the spirit of Winston Churchill, the nation\u2019s refereeing chief has declared all-out war on crooked scrum feeds.<\/p>\n
Join RUCK\u2019s Instagram broadcast channel\u00a0<\/a>and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.<\/p>\n Mathieu Raynal, now steering officiating across the Top 14 and Pro D2 alongside Romain Poite, isn\u2019t content to just blow the whistle. <\/p>\n He\u2019s driving a revolution \u2014 one aimed squarely at delivering\u00a0fixed scrum feeds\u00a0and restoring old-school fairness to the set-piece battle.<\/p>\n France ditched the shoulder-aligned feed, forcing nines to square up and throw straight. The result? Chaos, competition, and a flood of penalties \u2014 41 in six rounds, compared to 23 over four seasons. Pro D2\u2019s no different. <\/p>\n While England and the URC look away, France is scrumming for honesty \u2014 one feed at a time.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not just wake up in the morning and decide,\u201d said Raynal \u201cThis has come from the coaches. Ninety per cent of feeds last season were straight into the second row. We want more equity. I have said to them: \u2018OK, we will referee it, but we will not do one step back in a month when everyone complains.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s exactly what has happened. They are starting to complain. And I have said to them: \u2018We will continue to do it.\u2019 We now have some defensive scrums winning against the head, with a shove or hook. It needs to be a fair fight in the scrum.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery two months, I have a meeting with all the scrum coaches in France and the referees. We put on the table what went well and what didn\u2019t. Feeding will be on the table in every meeting from now until the final. But, they are adapting now. Credit to them and to the players they have taken it seriously and done it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did Churchill say? \u2018If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided, all will fail.\u2019 Everyone thought it was impossible and one day someone thought that it wasn\u2019t. <\/p>\n \u201cMaybe other countries will say we are crazy, maybe some of our French stakeholders will, too. But we will continue.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re thinking about the general interest in our sport. I don\u2019t care about personal interests of a club, coaches or myself. If I fight for consensus, I think it\u2019s important for our sport.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodbye, caterpillar ruck\u201d \u2013 Five more rugby law changes for 2026<\/p>\n Rugby has always balanced its proud traditions with the need to evolve. Yet, as the modern game grows faster, stronger, and more strategic, some long-standing laws may no longer serve their original purpose as effectively.<\/p>\n World Rugby has shown a readiness to adapt in recent years\u2014these ideas could mark the next step in that ongoing evolution.<\/p>\n Join RUCK\u2019s Instagram broadcast channel\u00a0<\/a>and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.<\/p>\n 1. No more draws<\/p>\n Rugby is one of the most thrilling sports in the world, but draws often leave players and fans frustrated. After 80 minutes of hard-fought action, neither team winning can feel unsatisfying and anticlimactic. Introducing golden point\u2014where the first score in extra time wins\u2014would give matches a clear, decisive ending.<\/p>\n Golden point also encourages attacking rugby. Teams would be pushed to take risks, go for tries, or attempt drop goals rather than playing safe for a draw. Every possession would matter even more, and fans would be treated to the kind of high-stakes drama that other sports, like rugby league and AFL, have long enjoyed.<\/p>\n It would make competitions simpler and fairer too. League tables, knockout tournaments, and international fixtures often rely on tiebreakers to separate teams after draws. Golden point ensures there\u2019s always a winner on the scoreboard, rewarding performance rather than chance or points difference.<\/p>\n Player welfare concerns can be managed by limiting extra time to short bursts\u2014say two five-minute halves or a first-score-wins rule within 10 minutes\u2014keeping the game exciting without overtaxing athletes.<\/p>\n Golden point wouldn\u2019t just make rugby more exciting\u2014it would make it fairer, more competitive, and in tune with the modern expectation that every game should have a winner. With more tight contests in both club and international rugby, there\u2019s never been a better time to adopt it.<\/p>\n 2. Fewer Substitutions<\/p>\n Rugby has changed significantly over the years, and one of the biggest shifts is how the bench is used. These days, teams often bring on almost an entirely new forward pack late in the game. Big, fresh players crash into tired defenders, making the final 20 minutes less about skill and endurance, and more about brute force. Many fans and former players feel this has turned rugby into a collision sport rather than a contest of stamina and intelligence.<\/p>\n Reducing the number of substitutions would encourage players to pace themselves. Space would open up in the second half, creating more opportunities for creative play rather than endless phases of pick-and-go. It would reward fitness, smart decision-making, and those capable of performing for the full 80 minutes.<\/p>\n Fewer substitutions wouldn\u2019t just make the game more exciting\u2014it would make it fairer, safer, and more in line with the spirit of what rugby has always been about.<\/p>\n With the rise of 6\u20132 and even 7\u20131 bench splits, pioneered by Rassie Erasmus, the trend seems to be heading in the opposite direction. That\u2019s all the more reason to act now.<\/p>\n CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO<\/a><\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n