Dave Rennie calls on rugby officials to cut down on time-wasting

New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie has urged match officials to do more to prevent what he believes is tactical time-wasting in international rugby.

The All Blacks face the Sharks in the second match of their Greatest Rivalry tour in Durban on Tuesday night, and Rennie says New Zealand will discuss the issue with the referee before kick-off.

“That’s the question that we’ll be asking. We’ll give some feedback to the officials later today, in preparation for the Sharks as well,” Rennie said in the build-up to the match.

Rennie’s comments come amid a perception overseas, particularly on social media, that the Springboks deliberately slow the game down. However, the All Blacks coach did not single out South Africa, instead arguing that time-wasting has become a wider tactical feature of international rugby.

He said teams could influence the length of stoppages by delaying parts of the game, with line-outs a particular concern.

“If they can decide to put players on the floor, the length of our stoppage, then I think the officials will understand that it’s tactical and let us play,” Rennie said.

He also questioned the amount of time teams take to organise themselves before a line-out is completed, saying the process is becoming increasingly drawn out across world rugby.

“And also, it’s a real trend in world rugby at the moment, every time there’s a line-out, sides are on the ball, and there’s a big meeting, it takes ages to actually get the game going.

“So, historically, that’s been refereed and pressured, so we’d like to see that.”

Rennie’s request is for officials to recognise when a delay is being used deliberately and ensure play restarts as quickly as possible. His comments come before a match that forms part of New Zealand’s tour schedule against the Sharks in Durban.

The All Blacks are due to meet the Sharks at 19:00 on Tuesday.

The fixture is the second match of the Greatest Rivalry tour. Before the game, the two teams are expected to engage with the match officials, with Rennie saying New Zealand will provide feedback as part of its preparation.

The discussion takes place against the backdrop of continued debate about the pace of international rugby and the responsibility of referees to manage stoppages. For Rennie, line-out preparation is one of the clearest examples of an area where delays can be reduced.

He believes officials have previously applied pressure to teams over such tactics and wants that approach to be maintained as rugby seeks to keep the ball in play for longer.

The Sharks have also spoken publicly ahead of the meeting with the All Blacks, while coach JP has described the contest as a significant challenge for the team’s younger players.