Australian rugby fans will have the opportunity to vote on proposed law variations for the upcoming National Rugby Championship.
A committee comprising Ewen McKenzie, Rod Kafer, Bob Dwyer and Wayne Erickson have narrowed down over 600 submissions from fans to a 12-point shortlist designed to make the game more entertaining.
One of the most controversial would see play restarted by a scrum to the non-kicking team, on the mark of the penalty after all attempts at penalty goal.
While viewers find penalty goals and scrum resets the two most boring and frustrating aspects of watching rugby, the committee decided against the obvious idea to reduce their prominence and have instead proposed putting them together in a potentially endless loop.
“If you multiply two negative numbers, you get a positive number. That’s simple mathematics. Our theory is that if we stick penalty goals and scrums together we’ll get a positive outcome,” said one member of Committee after their final meeting.
Meanwhile, the Georgian national team are said to be thrilled at the idea such a law change could eventually become part of the IRB’s laws of the game.
“We are not as good as the top teams at most parts of rugby, but we have very good props,” said Georgian captain Mamuka Gorgodze.
“With this change we would just have to win one penalty in the opposition half to win any game by a big score. We could kick goals and continually destroy weak scrums on the same spot for an entire match. It is a great idea and has our 100 per cent support.”
Another interesting change would give captains the ability to choose which opposition player goes to the sin bin when a yellow card is issued for repeated team infringements. The committee cited player welfare when asked why it would be positive for the same star players to be sin binned out of the game on a regular basis.
“While our most terrific Qantas Wallabies will not play many games in the NRC, we’ll often use it to get Qantas Wallabies back up to speed after injuries, or to give certain Qantas Wallabies game time when they miss out on the 23-man squad. By ensuring they get yellow carded every time their team gives away a few too many penalties, we’ll reduce their chance of injury, which can only be positive for the Qantas Wallabies,” said an ARU spokesperson.
The final shortlist is:
1. Instead of four try bonus point, the winning team is awarded a bonus point for finishing three or more tries ahead of their opponents.
2. Reduced time limits for conversions and penalty kick attempts.
3. After a successful or unsuccessful penalty goal attempt, play is restarted with a scrum to the non-kicking team at the place of the penalty.
4. Time limit for both teams to form a scrum.
5. No option to kick for goal from a scrum penalty (kick to touch allowed). If penalty becomes a ‘repeated infringement’ then kick at goal is allowed.
6. Scrum-half of non-feeding team is compulsory, must stay within 1m of the scrum, and cannot move past the mid-line of the scrum.
7. If a yellow card is given for repeated team infringement (excluding dangerous play), the non- offending captain chooses the opposition player who is temporarily suspended for 10 mins.
8. Players arriving through the gate may ‘drive out’ opponents past the ruck, creating more space behind the ruck for attack.
9. If non-throwing team does not contest for the ball, the straightness of the throw is not considered.
10. A mark can be awarded any place on the field.
11. After half-time and full-time, if awarded a Penalty Kick, you can kick to touch and play the lineout.
12. Free Kick for kick-off infringements as per Sevens.
Fans can vote on the shortlist here.
kiwihaydn
Guest
Have to agree that 6 and 9 are well overdue. 10 is a ridiculous rule and would immediately rule out the good old fashioned up and under. Another rule they should bring back, or at least be more lenient on, is actual rucking in a ruck!
Owen McCaffrey
Roar Guru
hard to enforce and too open to interpretation. The way to create space is to suck those forwards in with real forward play such as pick and go and mauls.
Qldfan
Roar Rookie
We must find ways to create more space for attacking rugby. Easy, keep the fowards inside x metres of the "site of activity". Don't let them loitre in the centre, or wings.
Daz
Guest
Sorry Eddard for the rant. I meant no offense to you. I still think the key to a better, more entertaining game is better referees. Even without any rule changes. I don't know how they are trained or remunerated now but it obvious even to blind freddy that something is terribly wrong with the production line. We need to invest more time and money into getting better referees and only then can the game go forward. Take last night's Wallaby game as an example. AAC should have been awarded a penalty try. The player who was tackling him was clearly offside. It should have been a simple decision. But no, what did Joubert do? He stuffed around for half an hour and held up play. I don't mind if they get it wrong as they are bound to do but I do mind when they stuff around like that and just waste time. Referees need to be made aware they are part of the product rugby is selling and they have a responsibility to present it in the best possible light. Either that or we need to install tea and coffee making facilities in all our grandstands so the spectators can go away and make a cuppa and come back in ten minutes time when these little gods of rugby laws have finally made a decision.
paul craggie
Guest
Totally agree Owen. Too much emphasis on the power game and not enough emphasis on the aerobic. Professionalism has given rugby some great athletes but this athletic capacity has effectively limited the space on the field for attack, the by product is a growing emphasis on power rugby and kicking. We must find ways to create more space for attacking rugby.
paul craggie
Guest
Scrum resets from 10 not 5 metres. For a game so reticent to accept change this incremental rule adjustment may be one acceptable to traditionalists and reformers alike. Think about it, most collapsed scrums and penalty goals come from this end of the field as teams attempt to score a pushover try. 10 metre scrums would provide a spectacular attacking platform, it would not entirely eradicate the pushover and therefore I argue, is not a bridge too far for traditionalists but more importantly it would substantially reduce injuries, resets, delays and penalties. Professionalism has changed everything in rugby and the rules must adapt to these new circumstances or the game will not grow as it deserves to grow.
Bakkies
Guest
IB because the game is going well elsewhere. The laws being wrong is a delusion Australians and need to wake up too. I would like to see the refs grow some balls and card offending ABs
Owen
Guest
Also half time should be strictly enforced at 10minutes. Sometimes it seems like more than 15minutes. The goal should be to make teams be more anaerobic and stop the slide towards American football. Eliminate stoppages and whistle for second half goes exactly on 10mins or less.
Owen McCaffrey
Roar Guru
I also agree with rules that introduce stricter time limits on conversions, penalties, penalty kicks for touch, basically short of stopping the clock the referee can enforce more stringent penalties for time wasting. We already have many in terms of rucks and mauls with the use it or lose it rule in rucks and the two stoppages rule for mauls. I hate the time wasting that goes on towards the end of matches by the winning teams. I heard the IRB is coming out with new TMO guidelines soon too. I would propose that the TMO be sitting there ready and already previewing the try and only gets 1min to look at it maximum. And maybe there is a limited number or times the on field referee can refer up to the TMO. Constant TMO and gratuitous injury breaks slow the game down way too much. The game should carry on or they should be stretchered off and can come back on.
In Brief
Guest
They do, but a lot of the laws guys like you hang on to for dear life offer the game nothing; They are like mythical creatures which never really existed. Scrum penalties for example. They do not reward strong scrums, they reward cheating scrums and go against the very letter of the law. The scrum is supposed to be a fast restart to play following a minor infringement, not an opportunity for cheating. If a team has a strong scrum great, use the advantage to get clean ball. Don't use the advantage to force the opposition scrum to collapse (which is dangerous and therefore illegal) or to try to get a penalty (which is against the spirit of the laws).
Bakkies
Guest
The real customers should want Rugby not a cross between League and AFL.
Daz
Guest
The stodgy, hidebound IRB and the ARU should consider themselves lucky Kerry Packer is dead. Rugby in Oz is ripe for the picking like cricket was with World Series Cricket.
Daz
Guest
Surely this is a joke piece. I say stuff the IRB and their rules and regulations. If ever the ARU had an opportunity to make this a game for the masses and to make good money they have surely stuffed it up. Like any egocentric, top heavy business that ignores it's customers and falls back on group think they are doomed to failure. Pacific Union defined their business as railways and lo and behold they got creamed when air travel took off. Listen to your customers and they will tell you how to shape your business. None of those recommendations are what real customers want.
soapit
Guest
you wouldnt describe taking away full arms as a massive change?
mitzter
Guest
Is the mark from all kicks or just from opposition kicks???
mitzter
Guest
I see the intention of #3, it would be to discourage kicking at goal from the halfway line, which is a fine intention as the team is not about to score points so shouldn't be rewarded with a free go at points and then getting the ball back at the halfway line from the drop-out if they miss as per the current rules. I see your worry about penalty goal, scrum, penalty goal, scrum, etc. but I think #5 is supposed to try and stop that. I don't understand why it is not just for penalty misses that go dead... what happens if the kick is short? Play on? Look I'd be willing to see it in an actual trial before passing judgement is all.
Brady-Aj
Roar Pro
WOW most of these rules are just stupid, they really sound like soccer mum rules, "must protect my little boy". I know Im a Dinosaur but bring back racking and watch the game speed up, instant red card for anything around the head
abnutta
Roar Guru
"abnutta – how can you possibly like number 3?"... because my real name is Okey Geffin.
Brian USA
Guest
I agree. Taking a mark anywhere on the field is silly. Someone launches a high up-and-under from their own 40, a player can call a mark if it lands at the 50? I understand player safety, but still. One thing I would like to see addressed is the number of straight arm pens. From a scrum, I think all penalties should be free kicks (unless there are players blatantly collapsing the scrum or something). Hands in the ruck? Free Kick. Obstruction? Free kick. Diving over? Free kick. This would encourage more exciting, running rugby and keep the tempo high. Very few quick taps are taken from a straight arm, but I find that these are exciting as heck to watch. Granted, there could be a serious flaw in this idea that I am not seeing. Maybe if the ref deems something to be intentional he could issue a straight arm. This would bring more interpretation into matches which no one wants. But it would still be interesting to see.
Sircoolalot
Guest
That was the amateur days. I think you'll find that scrums at all levels below professional are fine and always have been. The analysis that teams do on opponents and refs now leads to the problems as well as the massive physical specimens. It's a massive red herring. Unless something is massively changed in the way we scrum at pro level things will always be the same.