SA Rugby believes rugby’s core identity remains intact after World Rugby’s recent Shape of the Game summit.
SA Rugby CEO Riaan Oberholzer, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and law adviser Jaco Peyper were part of the South African delegation at the summit, where proposals around scrums, contestable kicks and other key elements were discussed.
Oberholzer said the overarching message was clear.
“After the conference, it was very evident that there is nothing really wrong with the way we’re playing the game. There’s no need for dramatic changes. It’s still a game for all shapes and sizes. The contest is important. That’s the essence of rugby.”
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Peyper confirmed that no fundamental law changes are imminent.
“There will be slight tweaks – we must keep making the game better – but we have to keep rugby’s identity,” he added.
Erasmus said that while rugby nations did not agree on every detail, the spirit of the game came through strongly.
“You could hear when someone was talking about what’s best for Fiji, or what suits their environment. South Africa will talk about what’s good for South Africa. But it was always brought back to what’s best for rugby.”
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Erasmus said the meeting in London was invaluable.
“I’m very happy that we went,” he said. “You can get out of touch with world rugby if it’s only virtual calls and emails. You want to look a guy in the eye, and that happened over the last couple of days.”
He admitted the opening session felt “clunky and busy”, but praised the structure once delegates split into smaller groups.
“When they broke into commercial, high-performance and operational rooms, everyone could give input. The committees were there, they stood their ground when they had to, and observers could still contribute. It was well run.”
Importantly, Erasmus believes there is alignment heading towards the 2027 World Cup.
“You can maybe skip one or two meetings, but you don’t skip the year before a World Cup. We’re fairly satisfied that we gave our opinion and that World Rugby will make decisions with proper input.”
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On red cards, Peyper said the current approach will remain.
“Full red cards will be for non-rugby actions or clearly reckless acts – a kick, a bite, a gouge or spitting. We don’t want those sorts of things in rugby, so we all accept that is a full red card.
“But technical errors won’t automatically go to a full red.”
As for TMOs, Peyper added: “The protocol is not broken. We need to invest in the individuals within the system. The biggest decisions are made there, so we must make sure we’ve got the right people in those roles.”
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Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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SA Rugby believes rugby’s core identity remains intact after World Rugby’s recent Shape of the Game summit.
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