World Rugby has issued a directive to referees for the Nations Championship addressing scrum-half feeding angles, Rassie Erasmus has confirmed.
The directive, communicated through Joel Jugte, World Rugby's Head of Referees, and new scrum consultant Jonathan Humphreys — who succeeds Mike Cron in the role — sets out protocols on what constitutes an acceptable feed. Erasmus described the communication as early, clear and consistent.
"The communication they're getting to us says it's early, it's on time, we know what's going on, we know what the protocols are," Erasmus told reporters on Tuesday.
The development follows persistent frustration from the Springbok camp over number nines feeding scrums at angles that deny the hooker a legitimate contest, in clear violation of Law 19.15.f. The issue came to a head last July when Erasmus publicly called out Italy's scrum-half feeding after the Azzurri match, posting a clip on social media in response to criticism of the Springboks' midfield lineout and short restart tactics. "I guess one can always argue what is against the spirit of the game — some teams avoid scrums, and others make sure they get scrums," he wrote at the time.
The scrum feed was raised at the Shape of the Game meeting, which Erasmus attended, but a blanket law-enforcement reset on straight feeds was not achievable in the short term. Erasmus acknowledged the limitation while expressing satisfaction with how World Rugby managed the broader discussion.
"For various reasons, that could not be," he said of the straight-feed standard. "But I must say the communication we're getting currently from Joel Jugte and Jonathan Humphreys — it was Mike Cron — it's on time, we know what the protocols are."
The crackdown is not without precedent at domestic level: French referees were directed to enforce the law more strictly in the Top 14 and Pro D2 last season. Erasmus indicated the Nations Championship directive carries similar intent, with the expectation that props and hookers will be required to engage rather than drag the scrum.
"We think it's going to have a massive impact where people will actually push back on them all, and you can't drag it. It's the same for us," he said.