Is it time to apply the choke-hold to the rolling maul? © Getty Images

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The rolling maul has the potential to create huge controversy at this year's Rugby World Cup with both Super Rugby and Six Nations encounters already highlighting the uncertainty that exists in the laws that govern the long-standing forward tactic.

World Rugby wrapped up its quadrennial Law Review in London this week, a meeting attended by the likes of All Blacks coach Steve Hansen and High Performance Match Officials Manager Joel Jutge. The governing body spruiked the meeting as a success, and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the game's laws continue to protect players and permit the best possible spectacle for supporters.

"World Rugby is committed to continual review and assessment of the laws of the game to ensure that the game is enjoyable to watch and play and is as safe to play as possible at all levels, from the elite, professional tier right down to community and youth rugby," a World Rugby spokesman said.

"This important process occurs after every Rugby World Cup and is an opportunity to take stock, review the laws, drawing on expert input and make changes where needed with those who play and support the game and ongoing prosperity of the sport in mind. It was great to see our unions and associations making such a strong contribution, while the level of expertise and discussion from our expert group when considering the submissions was very impressive. We have lots to consider and some interesting proposals to develop."

England were left to lament a late rolling maul ruling against France © Getty Images

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But there will be no changes for the Rugby World Cup, hence there is a growing concern that the "driving wedge" will have a match-turning effect because of the increasing confusion surrounding the refereeing of the maul.

The rolling maul was, as usual, a powerful weapon in this year's Six Nations, but its increased use in Super Rugby this season has largely been a surprise.

ESPN put a couple of questions to SANZAR Game Manager Lyndon Bray ahead of the season, focusing on the non-defence of a lineout drive, in particular; that defensive tactic created controversy just three weeks later.

Bray revealed that SANZAR had asked coaches not to employ the non-defence tactic, as it was not in the 'spirit of the game', and he said the correct decision for the referee in such an instance was to award a scrum to the defending side. In the match between the Cheetahs and Blues however, referee Rohan Hoffman awarded a penalty to the attacking Cheetahs, a chance the home side turned into three points and a victory.

The maul has continued to generate confusion since that encounter in Bloemfontein, with the Chiefs, in particular, finding themselves on the wrong side of rulings on more than one occasion. The two-time champions were denied a try late in the first half of their round 12 clash with Melbourne Rebels, referee Andrew Lees finding an obstruction in what looked like a perfectly legal set-up.

With so much to look at in what is a hugely dynamic play, it's easy to see how referees make mistakes. And while World Rugby may have the intention to simplify the laws for the maul in the future, there's no hiding from the fact that uncertainty could well reign in England later this year.

"It is such a lottery, the rolling maul," Tom Hamilton, ESPN rugby editor in the United Kingdom and Europe, said during a guest appearance on this week's Scrum5 podcast. "On the flipside, due to the fact that it is so ambiguous, it is such a potent weapon and I really think during the World Cup we'll see a lot of it because, if you get it right, all the opposition can do is pull it down and you're looking at a penalty try or sin-bin. So it is something that is really favoured at the moment; it is in vogue, and I expect to see a lot more of it."

Hamilton also alluded to a column written for ESPN by Harlequins director of rugby, Conor O'Shea, who believes the tactic is being used with greater regularity as a knock-on effect of the improved defensive structures across all levels of rugby.

The Brumbies showed just how successful the rolling maul could be in Round 11 of Super Rugby, when David Pocock scored a hat-trick by latching himself to the tail of three lineout drives. The Highlanders had no answer to the Brumbies' tactic, and were well and truly out of the contest at half-time.

ESPN columnist Brett McKay, also speaking on the Scrum5 podcast, backed Hamilton's comments and pointed to the grey area of backs leaving their traditional lineout alignment to aid the drive up front.

Expect the rolling maul to be a major talking point at RWC 2015 © Getty Images

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"That's probably why [the maul has) become more prevalent in Super Rugby this year," McKay said. "I think teams worked out at the start of the season that they are probably getting away with more than they ever have before and are saying, 'well, why don't we keep using this and keep running backs in?'.

"And if teams are operating under the advice of that backs running into join a maul, for example, only have to get a touch on the ball-carrier before they go forward, which is, for all intents and purposes, they're joining the maul ahead of the ball-carrier, if that's the working interpretation this year then it's no wonder we're seeing driving mauls at any given opportunity. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, doesn't it? The more latitude you allow, the more teams are going to do it and the more illegal it looks, the more of a lottery it becomes. So it's certainly no great surprise to me to see more and more of it in what is a World Cup year."

Just who benefits, or falls foul, from the rulings at the World Cup remains to be seen. But such has been its widespread use in 2015 that it's only reasonable to expect the maul to influence the game at what should be its finest hour. England have already seen their Six Nations hopes go up in smoke at Twickenham via a rolling maul ruling this year; one can only imagine the fallout should lightening strike the same field twice.