Dublin Conference to get rugby going foward

Jock M, I agree with you that players would try to stay on their feet at the breakdown if there was no advantage in going to ground. At the moment there is safety in the tackle. I'm bored of this one off the ruck stuff. Pick & go. If this option was negated then players would try to stay on their feet or they might even pass the ball. It is massively under estimated how the quality of entertainment is hugely influenced by the number of passes in a game. Phil Kearns touched on this briefly in commentary last week saying he would like to see some stats on the number of passes. Hell yes. So would I! While I'm on about passing. I hardly value a one pass phase as a phase. Instead of counting 7+ phases, how about counting phases with more than 7 passes? I think the Stormers try last week against the Chiefs had more than 7 phases. What a great try that was. 11 passes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctbcqg3WctI And pothale, on Steve Tew. Teflon they call him. Because he has no scratches on him despite a terrible record of leadership. His major achievement is to bring management jargon to rugby. Is there an administrator out there with less vision than him? Oh yeah, Brian Waldron!

Apparenty one of the issue steve Tew will be raising is the proposal that the June tests become a 3 test series against a specific country. thoughts?

Katipo, I can assure that it does work though rolling away is difficult as you change the whole dynamic of the game because forwards will drive into the breakdown.The fear of being walked on does tend to quicken the movements a little! You would find that if players had to release the ball they would stay on their feet and try and keep possession by mauling the ball. The really frightening about Rugby is that it has been so badly bastardised that people have no reference point. I have had some discussion about trying to organise some exhibition matches to be played under the pre professional rules.

Jock m - i do sympathise with your suggestion that tackled players shouldn't be able to place the ball on their side of the break down. In theory, neither the tackler nor the tackled player should play the ball once they are on the ground. It should be put on the ground immediately (in the shortest direction). Then both players should roll away and get back on their feet before playing the ball. Only the next players arriving at the breakdown should be allowed to attack the ball - where ever it is. Well that's my tackle theory. Not sure if it would work in practice. And do I believe that this years changes have improved the spectacle in comparison with the last 3 years. Great to see more passing. Great to see some spectacular tries. Reds/bulls game was a classic. It reminded me of the amateur days. Rugby future, I think the IRB conference ought to think about rugby's identity. What are our core values as a sport? Why do people play and support rugby? How is rugby different to other sports? And then reinforce those values. The IRB has published a few documents on this sort of thing but they need to go further... Rugby's professional administrators need direction from the IRB. Let's refocus on the values that attracted us all to the sport in the first place.

they reckon that secondary television deals (to americas/asia) are worth easily another 70 mill.

Good point justin...ive always wondered why Gilbert also don't make "super grippy" rugby balls. less knock ons/errors, etc.

hilarious skip

I've started quoting Kevin Keegan recently. I think it's due to the temporary absence of plane fuel in the air. Must be affecting my brain chemistry. I've fallen completely out of love with Spurs. Great when they're going well, but no Plan B. I'm also fed up of seeing 'Arry on Sky News every single day. Connacht are the Big Cs.

Thanks, El. By coincidence I bumped into Jim McKay yesterday. He was down in Sydney for a class in his Masters degree in sports coaching. He discussed the game plan the Reds used against the Bulls. He is a very modest and likeable bloke. My observation is that the coaches with non-inflated egos are usually the deepest thinkers about our game.

How about ensuring a straight feed at the scrum?

I agree Bruce. One of the things so likeable about the Reds when they played the Bulls is the way that a strategy was developed that played to the Reds strengths and exploited the Bulls weaknesses (chiefly mobility but some beautifully executed scrums and lineouts at key moments). They then went out and executed the plan around the laws as exist. The interest now comes as they play the Stormers and a different strategy must be developed around the Stormers (and vice versa). It is this kind of strategy that makes Rugby so interesting (and why they play it in heaven) not the strategy that develops when a team just trys to "play the rules" as cleverly as possible to minimise risk. I believe that there are actually very few coaches in the S14 at present that are coaching this way. The longer you leave the rules as they are (almost regardless of what they they are - within reason!) the game becomes less about exploiting interpretations and more about PLAYING RUGBY!

Kovana, I can assure you that I was a true fan. If you cannot grasp what i am trying to tell you I suggest that you get onto some footage of the game prior to the corporate moguls taking over. It is not the same game-the movements were much quicker,the back lines moves much better and on it goes. I am not concerned by insults and as i said I have just about given up on it. The game is being violated like a whore. Test cricket fans can consider themselves very lucky to still have the pure form of the game. In conclusion;ask yourself why Rugby League and Rugby players are almost inter changeable now.

They should just keep it like "extra time" on foxtel...

Ahh Jock, you must be a true purist. Remember last year, Highlanders 6, Crusaders 0? Now that was a game... Defence was brilliant from both teams.

I'll probably find myself in my customary situation of being out of step with everyone else, but I have a revolutionary suggestion with respect to Law changes: The IRB should resolve to revisit and consider changes to the Laws no more often than once a decade and preferably less often. The advantage of leaving the Laws unchanged is it gives the game a chance to evolve. Over time enterprising coaches and players work out strategies to exploit the Laws. In response referees adjust their interpretations of the Laws to try to ensure a fair contest. Darwinian principles ensure that successful strategies are emulated and adopted widely. This in turn leads to the development and implementation of counter strategies. Thus there are ongoing cycles of innovation and counter-innovation. By contrast, constant experimentation and adjustments to the Laws distort this evolutionary process. The development of our game is stifled because coaches and players no sooner adjust to one set of Laws than they are faced with another edition. Law changes are invariably decided by committees, a notoriously inefficient means of reaching useful decisions but a very effective way of stifling creative thought.

Shows just how much of a true rugby fan you are.. Dude.. are you looking only at Aussie stands and kiwi stands? How about looking at the stadiums for SA and around the 6 nations.. or last years test match between AB's and azzuri... Its okay to lose a couple of thousand BUT Theres almost a couple of 100'000 to replace them. In my opinion Rugby is on the downhill in Aus and NZ for the past 3 years.. Reasons.. Aus hasnt been doing good at super 14, test match and WC levels.. NZ.. haven't won a WC in 23 years.... BUT their seems to be a slight change this year.. The average crowd attendance for the super 14 matches in Australia is around 17'400. I bared last seasons horrors as well.. But being a true rugby fan i bit down hard,. and supported rugby still.. And now its paying off.. Since 'fans' like you have stopped watching this year.. If you would stop, relax and turned on the telly or went to play.. and actually 'Watched' this seasons games.. you will see there is a difference in attitude and also in the gameplay on the field.... Instead of being negative all the time.. Try looking at how to promote the game instead of trying to sink it.. since you 'were once a rugby fan/player' Sorry if i have said anything that may have offended anybody.

If one dimensional is encouraging tries over DK's and PG's then that's fine by me. I do agree that if it isn't accidental (and that would be very subjective) then it deserves a binning in the 22. Maybe one warning and then binnings from then on.

Pete, You just going on believing that everything is okay by dismissing my comments. Thousands agree with me on this -just look at the grandstands,the accounts of the various unions and so on. What truly amazes me that people who never played the game but had an interest in it ask me what has happened and tell me that they do not watch anymore. As I wrote,I am about to pull the pin on the whole thing. I am thankful that I played the game when I did.