Dropping penalties to two points and introducing five-minute sin bin cards are the cure that would ensure running rugby lives on. It has taken law change after law change to finally clean up the breakdown, though northern hemisphere referees are still finding their feet.
The last two years of International rugby has seen a shift towards ball-in-hand rugby as a result of the tackle release laws ensuring speedy recycle at the breakdown and higher ball retention.
Even England, the most conservative team in world rugby, have revitalised their game, most emphatically displayed against the young Wallabies on last Movember’s spring tour.
That was a great example of beating someone at their own game. The Irish and Welsh have even jumped on the bandwagon, although they don’t quite have the skill sets to execute it yet.
It is still early days in the World Cup, the only encounters of powerful nations were England-Argentina and Wales-South Africa, both results hinging on the boots of kickers.
Think back to Rugby World Cup 1999. Jannie de Beer potted five drop goals against England in the quarter-final, he could have ruined the whole World Cup had it not been for Stephen Larkham’s first attempt at a field goal, not bad for a first either.
I’m no genius but that’s the equivalent of three tries. I don’t care how good the kicks were, scoring three tries in a World Cup quarter final deserves better compensation.
Possibly the greatest injustice occurred in 2006 when the World XV were beaten 30-27 by a tryless Springboks outfit. Thats right, nine penalty goals by the one and only Percy Montgomery and a field goal from winger Gaffie de Toit.
The world XV scored two tries to none yet lost. The biggest problem I have with this is that it wasn’t even a Test for a trophy or part of a tournament.
The World XV, like Barbarians fixtures are for the good of the game, they are intended to showcase rugby by the greatest players of our game.
We are coming off the back of a stellar Super XV campaign and are being treated to some entertaining rugby thus far in New Zealand however I fear its only a matter of time until the Jannies and Percies come out of the woodwork in the current form of Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, James Hook (if they award his kicks), Felipe Contepomi and of course Francois Steyn.
There’s a reason de Villiers picked the Racing Metro based player. And that reason comes in the form of his capability to slot 60 metre field goals.
I don’t see Australia taking enough three-pointers to scare anyone. There’s only a handful of points between O’Connor, Beale and Cooper. It’s a shame you don’t get three points for flick passes and brain explosions. We would be favourites.
Hopefully my cynical expectations are wrong and we see tries take priority when the heat is on.
Finally, this is my the cure that would ensure running rugby lives on.
Try – 5 points
Conversion – 2 points
Penalty goal – 2 points
Drop goal – 1 point
Five minute sin bin cards= to prevent an increase in professional fouls.
Rob9
Guest
Who's saying that there isnt? Im saying that there worth is over valued! Im of the school that believes a try is a far more beautiful thing than watching the ball fly off the boot and in between the sticks in general play (sounds a lot like a southern sport we have here, just with a drop included) Being 2 points less than a try isnt doing a touch down justice. Rugby is a team sport where 15 guys grind to get the ball down the field and across their opponents line. Sure in the past you had to be in an attacking position to have a crack but 40m out plus is hardly that.
Bakkies
Guest
Probably because there is skill involved with kicking a drop goal.
Tubby
Guest
I cannot see any justification for changing the scoring. Multiple drop goals feature in maybe one in 50 games. If a de beer is slotting 5 in a game then clearly they are making easy yards to get in position and your defense isn't fast enough to put pressure on. Not to mention that drop goals take significant skill. Offenses against the maul do need to be better policed, crusaders pulling down two mauls back to back that were headed for tries by the stormers, and then getting warned if they do it a third time we might have to take more action, should have been penalty try twice over by then. But please do not let attacking teams get away with even more ridiculous play at the breakdown, it's a joke this year as it is
jason8
Guest
i for one dunno why we still persist with all the scrum penalties.... those are by far the most annoying and cant see why we didnt keep the tap n go initiatives from the ELVs. I do feel though that bringing the penalty value down to 2 only encourages the defending team to transgress especially close to the line so maybe being sharper on handing out the cards for penalties within the 22 and or allowing 3 points for penalties awarded within the 22 and only 2 points from oustide.
RebelMagpie
Roar Rookie
This sort of nonsense annoys me. Rugby isn't just about tries. It's about scoring goals. And if the defence didn't infinge there wouldn't be the opportunity for penalties. In Aussie rules, you don't get different scores for a goal depending on whether it was general play or a free kick. If you want the game to be only about running and try scoring, stick to League or touch rugby. And what's with the hating on drop goals? I love watching a skillful kicker slot one under pressure from a charging backline. In my mind, all goals should be worth the same. I would increase a conversion to 3 points in line with penalties and field goals. I would actually argue for 4 point tries and 3 point conversions to keep the overall converted try at 7, but I understand that wouldnm't be palatable to mos. tLeaving tries at 5 and increasing the conversion to 3 would satisfy both camps - making tries (potentially) more valuable while preserving the benefit of other goal kicking.
Crazy Horse
Guest
What a great idea. Make the teams play rugby with all 15 players instead of constantly maneovering to get the designated kicker a shot. It would end the days of inferior teams with a good kicker beating superior teams.
Tim
Guest
Get rid of the flankers, get rid of the tedious and boring scrums, get rid of the utterly non-sensical rules that not even the players understand, reduce penalty goals from three points to two, get rid of the awful and utterly useless lineouts, limit the amount of tackles per team before they need to dispose of the ball, allow shoulder charging,
Bakkies
Guest
Already mentioned the issues with the referees it goes back to Paddy O'Brien (and his management of them) and the constant tinkering of the laws (ELVs mainly driven by guess who, Australia). There were games in the Super 15 where refs were going back to the old interpretation of penalising attacking players for going off their feet at the breakdown.
mitzter
Guest
or reduce penalties outside 22 and drop goals to 2 pts
Bakkies
Guest
Conversions are difficult to get devaluing them won't improve the game. We don't want joke goalkickers like there are in loig that barely can kick it 30 metres off the tee and have crap percentages.
Bakkies
Guest
Rugby is a lot healthier than it has been in the past. Who cares if there are 12-9 scorelines with the amount of Rugby being played it happens. Spectators want forward play, good defence and hard earnt tries not touch footy. I would rather that than the joke of a match that the Lions and Chiefs played 2 years back. Maybe AFL is more your game with the constant scoring and non appreciation of defensive play.
Bakkies
Guest
You don't have to take a drop out. You can toe it over the 22metre and get the ball back.
mitzter
Guest
see other point - go to a scrum option on dead balls
grandpabhaile
Guest
If penalties are despised so much then increase their value to 4 or 5 points. Teams will hate giving them away then. Drop kicks reduced to 2 points. Every scrum is one point for the put-in. Knock-ons cost you two. Tackling line reduced to waist height maximum. Gaining 5 metres 2 points. Then you'd really keep the scoreboard ticking over.
sittingbison
Guest
Leave scores as is. The option for a kick at goal only allowed in attacking 22, otherwise it's a tap, scrum or kick at sideline. Kicking 3 points from a position where the attack has not even started (near or beyond the half) is ridiculous. Automatic sin bin inside 22, red card for the second offender.
Rob9
Guest
Drop goals 1 point for sure. I cant see a valid reason for keeping them at 3. Happy to keep penalties at 3 but how about only giving the attacking team the option of kicking for goal if the infringment occurs inside their attacking 22? Infringements that occur within an attacking position on the field should come with a heavy penalty against the defending side. Other than that I like the idea of rule changes that encourage more rugby and less calling on the tee.
PeterK
Guest
mitzter - You do know you can have great defence without infringing. You dont have to illegally slow the ball down etc. You can counterruck with power intensity and numbers, you can smash players back in tackles etc. If what you are saying that the best way to keep up with better sides is to constantly cheat then that is the whole point of this article.
Touko
Guest
I think 6 point tries would be good, but I'd reduce the value of a conversion to 1 point, as it would increase the relative weight of a try, given that not every try actually gets converted. (Also to address Bakkies point it would mean that scores were not significantly higher as the total value for a converted try would remain at 7 points) I'd leave penalties at 3 points, and give serious consideration to reducing the value of a drop goal to 2 points.
J
Guest
all 3 of those guys actually because they were all brilliant rugby players. Australians have this obbsession with kicking. Its part of rugby and believe it or not it is actually appreciated in countries around the world.
AndyS
Guest
You mean as opposed to taking the shot from 60m out, confident in the knowledge that if you miss it you'll get it back from the 22 drop-out....? Players will go to the line or take the tap if they back their attack or the defense is in disarray, same as now. That said, if the restart were taken from the point of penalty, I'd reduce the value of the penalty to 1 point.