Rugby lacks space, has been made overly complicated, and is officiated via the subjective interpretation of one man. In his Sport24 column, Tank Lanning is calling for change, radical change. WARNING: Requires very open mind!
Tank Lanning
Rugby is not the game it used to be. Players are bigger, stronger, fitter and faster. Tasks that could only be completed by all eight forwards working together are now handled by just two or three players, and sometimes even backs! Defence is no longer an optional extra for the okes who had less than five beers the night before, instead it is an impenetrable wall of science.
The end result is that the fatties are not kept busy on a single part of the field. Something that used to allow the peacock type thinnies out wide to strut their stuff in miles of open space.
So we have a shortage of space, a game made overly complicated by the clumsy oafs who run the show, which is implemented via the subjective interpretation of referees under pressure to speed the game up.
We also have the primary try scoring method being via legalised obstruction called a driving maul. This because unless you have a man-beast like Nemani Nadalo out wide or a freakish talent like Sonny Bill Williams or Israel Folou at centre or fullback, it’s pretty damn hard to score tries!
While remaining true to the changes made to make it safer, the game needs to be simplified, and we need to find ways to create more space. I suggest the following:
Scrum: If needed, allow the props to steady the scrum pre-hit by putting their hands on the ground. Allow props to bind anywhere. Allow scrumming in, but not scrumming up to force the pop. Enforce the straight feed so as to get the scrum set higher.
Maul: Allow teams to maul all they like, from wherever they like, but in a maul, the player carrying the ball must be at the front of the maul. This makes it a fair contest as the opposition can then tackle the ball carrier, but still allows for mauling skill. This in the old fashioned “Rolling maul” way, though, where you had to slip the ball to the person rolling off the side of the maul.
Breakdown: Both the tackled player and tackler can play the ball immediately from wherever they find themselves. Players arriving at the tackle situation can play the ball, be it on the ground or in the air, but must approach from behind the ball.
The biggie: While the attacking team continues to play with 15 players, the defending team plays with only 14, these to be chosen from the 15 players that started the game or were subbed into the game after kickoff. The attacking team to be defined at every primary restart such as a scrum, lineout and kick in, and the defending team given 15 seconds to decide on the player being left out. The team playing with 15 men get 4 points for a try, while the team playing with 14 men get 5 points for a try.
It’s bold and brave, and perhaps just a little insane … But not without precedent. Cricket is hardly a sport sailing in the calmest of seas right now, but knowing that the fans wanted sixes rather than wickets, the powers that be implemented rule changes like limiting bouncers and restricting the amount of players in the deep to do exactly that.
Jesus Tank, those are some pretty strong socks you been smoking.
Scrum – allowing props to scrum in will result in endless resets.
pre-feed: short arm to feeding team for collapse, short arm to defending team for skew feed
post-feed: long arm for collapse or scrumming in. Popping allowed. Half-back behind HIS team’s last feet.
Maul – once ref calls a maul, no more passing. Any joining player binds behind ball carrier
Not sure what changes there are in your breakdown law
Your biggie – I won’t even deign that with a response.
Also:
TMO allowed to alert ref to off-the-ball foul play.
The new points system – 2 points for a penalty, 3 for a conversion
BUT
To counteract giving away penalties in the “red-zone” (within 15 of goal line) – all professional fouls are a yellow, also multiple yellows allowed for original penalty and a “killing advantage” penalty.
“Impenetrable wall of science”
That’s just beautiful rugby writing.
Some serious thoughts, and some of it might just work!
What I agree with 100% is the props stabilizing themselves when required, I wonder how many people really understand the type of pressures taking place between the front rows?
Thank, cant agree more on simplifying the laws and the game. will make it easier for ref, players, no need for TMO, get the thing done in 90 minutes.
these days i am more exhausted mentally and frustrated after the game, because i dont understand half of the decisions anymore and break my head to try and figure it out. My work involves complex problem solving, i dont want to do the same when i want to relax en enjoy a game of rugby. after all that is why the game exists, for relaxation and that is why TV makes a shit load of money, because people watch rugby for entertainment. if thats gone no more SR.
5 years ago i did not miss a SR game on a weekend, now i only watch Stormers and Lions games, being a Lions supporter living in CT. a lot of people are like that now.
Agree with james. 10 years ago I used to watch every SR game on the weekend. Now I check the log on a Monday and watch 5 minutes of youtube if one particular game looks interesting. And I’m prime advertising fodder for the cars and booze that dominate rugby commercials, being a professional in his mid 40s. Surely they know they’re losing our viewership?
I’m only likely to watch one game of SR this year and that would be the semi-final with the SA team ( I’m assuming they won’t make the finals)
Something needs to be done. The game ( the dynamics of the game) and the tournament are stale