New law interpretations will strangle try scoring

 
LeftArmSpinner Roar Guru

By LeftArmSpinner, 24 Feb 2010 LeftArmSpinner is a Roar Guru

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Bulls' Fourie du Preez looks for support as he is tackled by the Chiefs' Stephen Donald during the Super 14 rugby match at the International Stadium in Rotorua, New Zealand, Saturday, March 22, 2008. AP Photo/NZPA, John Cowpland

The new interpretations of the breakdown laws have processed a have produced a massive number of tries in the first two rounds of the 2010 Super 14 competition.

Personally, like most rugby fans, I like to see ball in hand rugby and tries being scored. I don’t mind the odd blowout score, either. If nothing else, it makes life interesting.

That does not mean that scrummaging, line outs and even a driving maul are not still an essential part of the game.

Traditionally, the game is predicated on a relatively even playing field when it comes to the breakdown. Interpretations, in favour of either the attacker or defender, can and have fundamentally changed the game in ways that were not predicted, often for the worse.
Currently, and it is still early days for both the referees, coaches, administrators and players, the playing field is not even.

Les Kiss is a very successful and highly knowledgeable former player and current coach. On RuggaMatrix last week, he made the point that the new interpretations might initially favour the attacker, but that very quickly, coaches and offensive coordinator is would concede the breakdown and leave as many as 14 players in the defensive line.

The end result will still be lots of ball in hand rugby, but a reduction in the number of tries scored because of a strengthened defensive line. Possession won’t change unless the attacking team makes a mistake.

Rugby and its essence, the contest for the ball, will have disappeared and the game will have become unlimited tackle rugby.

Les Kiss went on to make his own very astute suggestions as to how we can promote running rugby. He proposes the referees being much tougher on players off their feet at the breakdown.

I fully support his suggestion and believe that it should be a recommendation to the IRB.

The real blight on the game are players, predominantly forwards, who sole purpose in defence is to slow down the opposition’s ball at the breakdown, by breaking the rules of the game.

They have made an art form of trying to appear innocent, clumsy or just simply “it wasn’t me guv’.” They make it appear that they are playing rugby by contesting the ball when in fact they are cynically and constructively not playing rugby or playing in the spirit of rugby and just want to slow down the opposition ball up and hence the spectacle.

Enough is enough. On the second infringement, the referee will issue a yellow card to the offending player. Initially, there will be many offending players and many yellow cards. But it will not take coaches very long to realise that the risk/return equation makes offending at the breakdown just not worth it anymore.

Defending players will need to show greater judgment as to when they genuinely contest the ball and/or counter-ruck.

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