Bernard Jackman argues that South Africa lobbied World Rugby at the Shape of the Game meetings to enforce stricter maul directives — and the change, while not a new law, will meaningfully reshape how the set piece is contested. Referees have been instructed to remove defending players who drift past the ball in a maul, and to penalise dragging and pulling. Ireland, who have built a sophisticated system around players like Beirne and McCarthy exploiting exactly those grey areas, stand to lose the most. Jackman believes the directive will make mauls significantly harder to defend, with corner kicks now more likely to convert directly into tries. The Boks, whose driving maul is already among the game's most potent weapons, are the obvious beneficiaries — and Jackman expects the change to extend the maul's usefulness further from the line, not just as a scoring mechanism but as a platform for phase play.