- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
When Greg Growden starts writing about the need to change the rugby laws, then you know the game is in trouble. And he is right, given the latest survey that shows its audience is even less than football in Australia (a poor fourth behind league and AFL).
Greg rightly points out that tries should be more valuable (six points), and that the incessant crouch, touch, pause, engage is wasting two minutes or more of game-time.
Here is my addition to the Growden argument.
Basically, rugby referees see themselves as old fashioned headmasters who have to punish the pupils (the players). They are the dominant presence in rugby games when the players should be.
With league and AFL, the crowds go to watch the players (Benji, Lote etc) The referees in those games recognise this and play a background role.
But not rugby referees, who have to dominate and punish the players, like the guy who controlled the Force versus Auckland match the other night. His decisions totally influenced the result where the Blues’ players did not think they deserved a draw and the crowd left with a sour taste in their mouths.
When are the rugby administrators going to take back control of the game by controlling the referees, simplifying the rules, and bringing back the running game?
Remember Dr Roger Vanderfield, who was a prince of a referee who allowed the game to flow and not once did he let his ego, unlike the referees of today, get in the way.
I think it is vital that administrators change the game and change the minds of referees because low crowds and talk of players having to take pay cuts shows the game is on the slippery slide as an entertainment package.
Importantly, that is what referees of other footy code understand: their sport is entertainment first, second and third and if it does not flow no one goes. Time rugby threw away the cane and got with the program, including:
– Make tries worth six points (like Greg said);
– Eliminate 1000 breakdown rules (must come in from the back and bring back rucking);
– Have the touches enforce a 10 metre gap between each team (five metres from the last foot in mauls) after phase one so that there is room to make breaks and score tries;
– Get rid of crouch, touch, pause, engage and let them pack but not push until the referee says one word, i.e. push;
– Recruit some nippy players – at the moment all we have are 15 monoliths or giants who could not run out of sight on a dark night. Size is killing the game, and the likes of David Campese go somewhere else because they are not big enough.
Good on Greg Growden, who read the tea leaves.
If something is not done soon, then the rugby referees will be bossing to no one.
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.