SA props all bulk, no brains?

Wellington - Speaking to the Dominion Post, top New Zealand scrum coach Mike Cron believes South African props will struggle to adapt to the new IRB scrum laws.

Under new IRB laws designed to reduce scrum collapses, the "crouch, touch, set" process has been replaced by a "crouch, bind, set" sequence, meaning the hit has been taken out of the scrum engagement, as front rows will have to bind before the scrum is set.

The Hurricanes coach said New Zealand teams were the most likely to benefit from the new laws and South African teams would struggle the most to adapt.

"In my opinion, for the lesser scrums there's no hiding now - no tactics, no hit-and-run. You've got to man up and fight to the death now,"

Cron suggested that there was a tendency for South African props to rely on bulk and to hide behind the hit in the scrum engagement, and that they were lacking in technique.

"Pretty much any South African tighthead (prop) is going to have to sharpen up a bit," said Cron.

Heyneke Meyer, on the other hand, said earlier this year that he believed the new laws would suit South African props.