Eddie Jones insists World Rugby is deliberately trying to reduce the influence of the scrum after watching the Springboks’ demolition of Argentina in Durban.

The set piece has long been a cornerstone of the Boks’ success, playing a pivotal role in their back-to-back World Cup triumphs.

But law tweaks since 2023 – most notably the removal of the scrum option from free kicks – have been viewed in some quarters as a direct attempt to blunt the Boks’ greatest weapon.

Speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast, Japan’s coach suggested referees are being encouraged to take the sting out of the contest.

“That first [Springbok] scrum, if that’s not a penalty … he [the referee] says you’ve got to go up both sides, but it looked like they were going up both sides – the only thing that didn’t go up was the turf in the ground,” said Jones.

“That gives you an indication of how they’re trying to referee the scrum, they’re trying to take the scrum out of the game. Whether it be overtly or not, they’re trying to take the influence of the scrum out of the game.”

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The Boks struggled to get a grip in the first half at Kings Park, with tighthead Thomas du Toit pinged more than once, before finding some dominance later in the match.

That mattered little as the Boks ran away with a 67-30 victory, scoring nine tries in a blistering attacking performance.

Jones, though, insisted their resurgence was less about offloading flair and more about their tactical kicking.

“Their two best attacking games have come on the back of their best kicking games,” he said. “One of the most consistent winning metrics – and these data analytics guys can predict close to 99.9% of the Tests – is kicking metres, by a mile.

“You look at South Africa, the last two Tests particularly, they’ve kicked to run and they’ve been brilliant in doing it.”

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