Five law changes Nigel Owens would like to see in 2025

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Popular former referee Nigel Owens has stepped forward with a game-changing wish list for rugby laws in 2025.

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Here's what the legendary Welshman thinks needs to change:

1. Dump the Bunker

Owens didn't hold back when it came to the controversial TMO bunker system.

“During the Rugby World Cup, I made no secret of my thoughts on the new TMO bunker,” Owens wrote. “While it certainly showed how it can help to speed up games, it hardly reduced controversies or improved decision-making during the tournament and, in my opinion, ended up being used too much when the decisions should have been made by the on-field referees.

“At the moment, it feels like the TMO is refereeing matches and that is not a road that rugby should be going down. While technology has its place in the game, how it is used currently needs to change.”

2. Scrap the Drop-Out

The goalline drop-out was meant to encourage dynamic play, but Owens thinks it's doing the opposite.

“It was hoped that they would improve player safety by reducing the number of pick-and-gos and encourage teams to spread the ball along the back line,” Owens said. “But if you look at games now, teams are still picking and going and they're still bulldozing their way over the line. If anything, it rewards negative play as the defender can just chuck themselves under the ball and hold it up.”

3. Fix the Scrum – Properly This Time

For Owens, the state of the scrum is a major issue, particularly how it's refereed.

“I know it's a cliché, but how scrum-halves are feeding into the scrum is worse than ever at the moment,” he said. “Most scrum-halves may as well put it straight under the No.8's feet.

“Too many scrums are not being refereed at the moment. Too many refs are playing on when the scrum is down and not dealing with the issues behind it… If they can be stronger in refereeing it and in dealing with the negative scrummagers, then we will see much more of a contest at scrum time.”

4. Get Tougher on the Ruck

Owens thinks enforcing existing laws could transform this chaotic area of the game.

“It's all there in the laws of the game, but it just needs to be refereed better,” he said. “You can't deliberately collapse a ruck, and players arriving at the ruck should be arriving on their feet and not diving off them.

“If we get more players on their feet contesting the ruck, then we have more space in midfield for the players to attack. This will also reduce the amount of dangerous clearouts around the dead ruck areas.”

5. Lower the Tackle Height

The conversation around tackle height is one Owens believes professional rugby must confront.

“At the moment, it's not in law that it's illegal to tackle upright and players are not changing their behaviour in lowering their tackle height,” Owens noted. However, he acknowledged the positive reception of the tackle height trial in the community game, adding, “It's certainly something that needs to be looked at in the professional game too.”

Bonus: Goodbye Caterpillar Rucks

The endless box kicks from drawn-out ruck setups have been a sore point for Owens as well.

“The boring and endless box kicks from long ruck set-ups need to be addressed too,” he said. “The ‘use it’ call needs to be as soon as the ball is available, as in law, or I would even think about reducing it to maybe three seconds.”

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