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Something is wrong when even a close Bledisloe Cup decider is largely a boring spectacle, but I reckon that’s what Saturday’s match was – and what most rugby matches are these days.
And I think it’s because of the changed rules at the breakdown.
Allowing the first player from each side at the breakdown to play the ball with the hands means that possession is a done deal before most of the forwards even arrive at the breakdown. The result is that defending forwards don’t commit to the ruck-maul because they are of more value out with the backs preventing a line break in the next phase.
Line breaks, and the random broken play they lead to, are the exciting part of rugby. But there’s so few of them these days that the game has lost its sizzle.
Allowing lifting in the lineout improved the lineout, but allowing hands in the ruck has been a dismal failure. We should go back to no hands in the ruck – at all – with its built-in penalty for those who want to lie over the ball – being spat out the back of the opponents’ side of the ruck with a complimentary set of thigh souvenirs.
Seeing a man rucked at Test level looks awful, so it satisfies the crowd’s blood lust, but it actually doesn’t hurt a solid fit young buck that much.
But it eliminates the referee from having to watch umpteen hands at the breakdown and guess which team to penalise (first hand to touch the ball = advantage other side / penalty), but most importantly it forces all the forwards from both teams to commit to the breakdown because possession is up for grabs each time for the team that rucks the hardest, leaving room for the backs to make breaks and set up the running and passing of the ball in space – the glory of rugby.
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.