New scrum laws in Rugby Championship

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The International Rugby Board (IRB) introduced the new scrum law with the aim of making the game safer for front row forwards and are hoping for fewer scrum re-sets and the resultant, often apparently arbitrary, penalties.

The law requires the front rows to be engaged and the scrum steady before the ball is put in, removing the "big hit" of the packs coming together and promising a more stable set piece.

The first test of the law at a set piece at international level came after 10 minutes of New Zealand's 47-29 victory over Australia at Sydney's Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

The first effort collapsed just as surely as it would have under the old laws and at the reset, Wallabies scrumhalf Will Genia was penalized with a free kick for not putting the ball in straight.

Everybody expected the new law to take some time to bed in but it looks to be the halfbacks, required to bring an end to decades of lobbing the ball under the boots of their locks, rather than props and hookers who have most to learn.