Dave Rennie made a very public push out of the World Rugby coaches-and-referees meeting in London, particularly around the brake foot law and what he saw as poor scrum officiating during the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series. The piece argues he left without getting what he wanted. The meeting was a discussion forum, not a law-change session, and while scrum setup — specifically looseheads tucking shoulders — was demonstrated by Gatland and Jonathan Humphreys, the conclusion was that both sides had been at fault, not just the Boks. Referees will now police engagement and the brake foot more rigorously, which is hardly the vindication Rennie was looking for. Notably, the All Blacks quietly shifted their approach at the scrum against Scotland the following weekend, which rather undercuts the complaints.
For Bok supporters, the reassuring detail is that Erasmus was in the room for the full day — including sharing it with Nick Berry — specifically to ensure South Africa has a voice when the laws are discussed. His collaboration with Borthwick on the maul discussion is also worth noting, as that area is coming under increasing referee scrutiny. The piece frames Rennie's campaign as an ongoing attempt to shape the game to suit the All Blacks, but concludes the status quo held — and that Rennie now needs to get back to coaching rather than lobbying.