World Rugby's gathering of head coaches in London ahead of the November Nations Championship window centred on two issues: the newly-outlawed hip-drop and knee-drop tackles, and the increasingly contentious role of the TMO. All Blacks coach Dave Rennie, speaking after naming his side to face Scotland at Murrayfield, confirmed the meeting covered those topics along with brake-foot officiating and maul laws.
Rennie expressed mild surprise at the sudden urgency around hip-drop tackles, saying the technique had barely been discussed before it was banned. "No one has ever talked about it. Now it seems to be a bit of an epidemic," he said, adding that from a safety standpoint it would be refereed firmly.
On the brake foot — a law he and assistant Neil Barnes challenged repeatedly during the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series against the Springboks — Rennie said referees indicated they have a clear process but are also monitoring the broader picture. He drew comfort from how it was managed during the Bledisloe Cup matches and does not expect significant officiating shifts before the World Cup.
The TMO discussion centred on reducing unnecessary stoppages. Rennie acknowledged that the degree of TMO involvement may vary depending on the referee-TMO relationship in any given match, but said the consensus among coaches and officials alike is that the fourth official should intervene only when genuinely needed. "What we can't have is stopping a game for two or three minutes and then finding out it's just play on," he said.
Ireland coach Andy Farrell and Argentina's Felipe Contepomi were the only absentees from the meeting, both occupied with Friday evening's Test in Dublin.