DIRECTOR of rugby Dean Ryan fears the rolling maul could be driven out of the game if more action is not taken to improve the standard of refereeing.
Worcester Warriors, who are currently second in the Greene King IPA Championship, have looked to use their powerful forward pack to their advantage this season.
But Ryan said they have often been forced to look at other ways to gain ascendancy in matches due to the way referees officiate the driving maul.
The Warriors boss said the club have collected “overwhelming evidence” to suggest it was not being officiated very well and has urged top refereeing chiefs to take urgent action.
“It is a real scourge of the game because I don’t think it is being policed very well,” Ryan said.
“I know Northampton share our frustration as they have got a very good drive and it is happening at Premiership level as well.
“I would be really interested to see what would happen if it walked into the Six Nations.
“It is not being delivered down the tiers and you have to think what would happen if the driving lineout left the game.
“We are in danger of everyone being slightly smaller and everyone being a better defender. It is exactly the same with the scrum.
“It is not for every purist of the game, but there are plenty of crowds which will jump up and down about a rolling maul moving forward.
“It is a really important moment for refereeing, for the IRB and for everybody to look at it and say what is going on? Why isn’t it being policed very well and what do we have to do to ensure the integrity of a maul stays in the game?”
However, Ryan said he has held “positive conversations” with Tony Spreadbury, head of professional game match officials for the RFU, as he continues to put pressure on referees.
“We don’t get the same interaction in the Championship as we would get in the Premiership, but we have got a long-standing relationship with Tony and his department,” Ryan added.
“We have just expressed our need for clarity and then the need for application from everyone around it.
“The law is there for both sides, but our evidence shows that it is being missed and therefore something needs to be done about it.”