World Cup winning former All Blacks and Black Ferns coach Wayne Smith believes the driving maul is “legalised obstruction” and should be banned from rugby.
Smith won back-to-back World Cups with the All Blacks as assitant coach to Graham Henry and Steve Hansen in 2011 and 2015 and most recently coached New Zealand’s national women’s team to World Cup glory in 2022.
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In last year’s World Cup final, New Zealand conceded three tries from the driving maul against a 14-player England side, but managed to hold out to win 34-31.
Speaking to New Zealand publication Stuff, Smith explained why he believes the maul should be banned from rugby.
“I don’t like the driving maul as part of the game,” Smith said.
“There are six or seven forwards in front of the ball. There is no access to the ball. It is legalised obstruction. I would get rid of it entirely.
“You could do it very easily by changing the laws so that if the attacking team chooses to kick a penalty to touch inside the 22, then the other team gets the throw in.”
Smith was talking to writer Mark Reason, as part of a column supporting the coach’s view on the maul.
“It is a blight on the game. It is against the very essence of pure rugby. It does not allow a fair contest for the ball. And it is a crashing bore,” Reason wrote.
“American football is the sport to watch if you want legalised blocking, but this is blocking and evasion that has been choreographed over a century. And even the NFL is likely to outlaw the quarterback sneak next year because the attacking side has an unfair advantage.”
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