All Blacks and Crusaders prop Joe Moody couldn't disguise his contempt when he learned of former All Blacks and Black Ferns coach Wayne Smith's recent criticism of his beloved maul.
Smith admitted he'd become "frustrated" with the dominance of lineout drives in the modern game, revealing he reached breaking point during the Highlanders' clash with the Force last month.
"I watched the game that Nic Berry refereed the other day, and his arm is out the whole time," Smith told the All Blacks Podcast. "Every single play, there's an advantage.
"We're going to go seven, eight phases and if it goes nowhere, we're going to come back and it's going to be a penalty.
“Then, 30 seconds to kick the ball and another 40 seconds for the lineout to happen. It's going to be a drive that's going to collapse, and It's going to be an arm coming out.
Smith confessed - for the first time in his life - he'd turned the game off at halftime, reaching for the remote in favour of a documentary about "Lions in the Serengeti."
"I was so frustrated with it. I don't know if it got any better in the second half. It probably did. But I just thought it’s not the sort of game I want to watch at the moment when it’s like that."
Those comments were a shot to the heart of a seasoned 57-test front-rower like Moody, whose Crusaders forward pack has been arguably the most proficient exponent of the rolling maul.
"Shit, what a ridiculous [thing to] say," Moody responded.
"Nah, bloody lineout maul is great. A great part of the game. It's a good challenge to lay down a yardstick for your forward pack."
Smith's frustrations are shared by many. Lineout mauls at close range have almost become an automatic five points and those that don't cross the line often result in a penalty to the attacking side, which leads to another lineout attempt from five metres.
The multiple World Cup-winning coach went as far as suggesting opposition teams should be awarded the throw-in on penalties at the corner to limit the number of mauls and "stop all these incessant kicks".
Unsurprisingly, Moody isn't on board.
"Smithy is a good man, and he's got a lot of interesting views and everything, but I just can't say I'd align on this one with him," Moody added.
"I'd hate to see that get thrown out or reduced in some form. You've got to keep it in there."
Self-professed "rugby purist" and Crusaders assistant coach Dan Perrin wholeheartedly backed Moody's stance.
"If they're kicking to touch and not getting the ball back, I guess they're taking penalty shots at goal," noted Perrin.
"You take one thing away and you'll just find something else to complain about. So, there wouldn't be as many tries, teams would be kicking goals. That's not exciting for fans.
"As a rugby purist, the maul has been in the game for a long time, so I'd like to see it stay there."
