History of the South Africa national rugby union team on to criticise New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence for "one-sided" refereeing, claiming that Australian openside David Pocock was allowed to "reduce the breakdown to a farce". Lawrence was dropped from the nine-man elite panel in 2012. Following the World Cup exit, several stalwarts of the 2007 World Cup-winning side and the 2011 squad went on to announce retirements or moves abroad. This included captain John Smit, influential lock pairing Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, and scrum-half Fourie du Preez. History of the South Africa national rugby union team The History of the South Africa national rugby union team dates back
Scrum (rugby union) might collapse the scrum. They must not push an opponent in the air. Finally, the back row must remain bound until the ball has left the scrum. For flankers, this means keeping one arm, up to the shoulder, in contact with the scrum. The no. 8 must have both hands touching the scrum until the scrum has ended. Other rules regard the scrum-halves and how they throw in the ball. The scrum must be stable, stationary and parallel to the goal-lines when they "feed" the ball; otherwise a free kick is awarded to the non-offending team. If the scrum is