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“I love watching penalty goals in rugby,” said nobody. Roughly 10 minutes of game time in an average match of super rugby is taken up by shots at penalty goal.
Is the spectacle of the penalty goal worth 10 minutes of dead play? Is there anyone that would not prefer an extra 10 minutes of ball in play and set piece rugby?
Sure, a last minute shot at penalty goal to win the game can be very exciting. But is it more compelling than a last minute attack at the line?
It’s time to reclaim these 10 minutes and consign the penalty goal to history. Not just in Bill Pulver’s ‘Super B’ competition, but in all rugby.
Getting rid of the penalty goal would require something to replace it as a deterrent beyond conceding a kick for touch, scrum or tap. Pulver and others have suggested increasing the use of yellow cards for repeat infringements.
The argument against this is that you’ll get too many games decided by ‘artificial’ 15 versus 14 man rugby. I don’t think it’s a great argument as those teams would only have themselves to blame.
Nevertheless, I have an alternative solution. How about awarding an automatic point to the attacking team if the defensive side commits a penalty in their half (or perhaps their 22)? If the penalty offence doesn’t result in lost possession the play wouldn’t even need to stop at all.
No more need for the subjective period of penalty advantage. The referee would award a point and the play would continue.
If the penalty offense resulted in a turnover or unplayable ball then the attacking team would have the option of a tap, scrum or kick for lineout. If they wanted they could even take the tap and kick a drop goal.
This would provide a better deterrent than the penalty goal as infringing teams would concede points and do nothing to reduce the pressure they are under. It would also keep rugby as a 15 on 15 sport at almost all times (with players only carded for foul play or highly cynical professional fouls).
Best of all we’d get an average of 10 minutes more rugby per match without increasing the overall length of the game.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.