To improve rugby union as a spectator sport, they need to literally raise the bar… The crossbar that is.
The crossbar is currently three metres above the ground, as it has been since time immemorial.
But the modern ball is lighter than the traditional ball and today’s kickers have the luxury of using kicking tees rather than kicking off piles of sand or earth.
At the professional level they are full-time players who practice kicking without distraction, and have access to all sorts of technology to improve their techniques.
With the game’s rules having been unable to keep pace with the strength and mobility of the modern player, grey areas at the breakdown and scrum have seen some games turn into penalty kicking shootouts.
And why not, when a penalty is worth three points and a try only five?
As a result you get kickers attempting penalty goals from inside their own half. The clock doesn’t stop and the game becomes static and boring.
The NRC are experimenting with two points for a penalty and three points for a conversion, but the jury is still out on the effectiveness of such a change.
My suggestion is to raise the bar to six metres above the try line. You don’t have to remove the old crossbars, they can still be used for junior competitions.
The six-metre crossbar would limit the capacity to kick goals from more than 40 metres out. If that’s not the case, then raise the bar to seven metres and so on until teams would rather go for a try than attempt a shot at goal from any more than 35 to 40 metres out.
Repeated infringements could be dealt with through a more stringent usage of yellow cards.
I envisage more tries and less time watching goal kickers go through torturous and tedious tai chi-inspired goal-kicking routines.
Eagle roarer
Guest
Brett Im not sure if the reduced incentive to go for PG's is resulting in more tries or that there are a LOT more mismatches in defence with SR and Wallaby players playing against Club Rugby players. So I do think the Jury is still out to some extent. I also think the Conversions should be reduced back to 2 and Tries increased to 6 so that kicking for goal has less chance of deciding the outcome of a game. overall the change in points has been a great improvement, but im not convinced it is 100% settled on in its current format.
Internal Fixation
Guest
Brett - I disagree with all short arm penalties for scrum infringements. One of the great advantages of the scrum is that it binds in the forwards and allows the backs to have a go with a lot more space. I dislike the deliberate penalties and trickery going on but I don't think this is the answer. Short arm penalties see teams quickly reforming the defensive line. There will be no advantage in the speed of the game or space for the backs and team will not have an incentive to scrummage well. Personally I would prefer no tee or set shots from any penalty - drop goal or kick it into touch!
superba
Guest
Just get on with it and fill the ball with water .
Joe Blow
Guest
Yeah, but he probably deserved it.
Joe Blow
Guest
Great point. I would like to see less stoppages in play and more action, but I don't particularly care how many tries there are.
Nobrain
Guest
I like so much the idea that I have posted the same in the roar at least two times , my point on doing this are basically that will improve the speed of the game because we will not longer have those long penalties attempt from the fifty yard line. Just last past weekend in the RWC, sorry cannot recall the game because I seen them all, someone attempt a penalty from ten yards on his own field. The second thing that attracts me about the idea is that is economics of it, the fields do not have to be expanded and not major adjustments are to be made on the existing stadiums. It seems that roares did not like the idea very much because I received basically the same answers as you did. At least we are two.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
I have to disagree. Most suburban and country grounds have both league and union playing. North Sydney Oval, the SFS, Canberra both the raiders and Brumbies, Melbourne: the Rebels and Storm. In country areas rugby is played one day and league the other on weekends. It may work where only rugby is played but that would be it.
Marty
Guest
That's an idea well worthy of consideration. It'd remove the professional foul element.
In Brief
Guest
Drop goals are great, they reward skill and the ability to set up the opportunity, they are also fluid and don't rely on a stoppage of play. . . Totally different to penalties which are static, waste time and are often wrongly awarded in the first place.
In Brief
Guest
The objective truth is that referees often get it wrong. More and more they referee by numbers, without really understanding what has occurred. So to suggest that teams can somehow control how much they are penalised is purely fanciful. If a team is on attack near the tryline, the defence is always 'cynical' if they compete for the ball. Of course the fact that rugby union is based on competing for the ball seems to be ignored. Actions which would not even be penalised on halfway are yellow carded on the try line. Similarly in the scrum, dominance is rewarded, regardless of legality. At the breakdown you win a penalty when a defender gets hands on the ball, regardless of whether or not the tackled player released. If you are second tier nation watch out, forward passes and off sides will be blown whenever you make a break, even when they are line ball.
wardad
Guest
Eh just open the bar then no bugger will notice .
rebel
Guest
HG, I have been an advocate of this for a long time. Ban the place kick, drop goals only.
Dave_S
Guest
like that idea.
niwdEyaJ
Roar Guru
" some teams (no names) have been notorious for deliberately conceding penalties when their try line is under assault." another suggestion I've come up with for that in the past is to simply restart play from where the penalty occurs, rather than going back to halfway... that way you give up points AND your try line is still under pressure...
Dave_S
Guest
Is there any good reason to have drop goals at all? I've never understood it really. Merely having possession within kicking distance of the posts should not be rewarded with points. Perhaps retain it at just one point, like league, where it serves a useful tie-break function or puts you a point beyond converted try territory? I'm in 2 minds about 3 point penalty kicks. There does need to be a significant disincentive for deliberate breaches that stymie tries - some teams (no names) have been notorious for deliberately conceding penalties when their try line is under assault.
Smiggle Jiggle
Roar Guru
I would prefer location based penalties. If you are between halfway and the 10 metre opposition line, then you can have a shot at the post, but if you are past the 10 metre ie, between the try line and the 10 metre line, then you can't have a shot at goal, you either can kick for touch, scrum or quick tap, but no set shot. This will encourage more tries hopefully.
niwdEyaJ
Roar Guru
I'm pretty sure decking the referee on the half way line would be more of a red card and perhaps suspension for life type offense rather than a penalty...
Kane
Guest
You can look at it the other way too. Its much harder to kick a drop goal than it is from the 22. Also is a dubious penalty on the five meter line worth three times as much as me decking the referee on the half way line? The answer to this predicament isn't quite so clear cut.
Lion Down Under
Guest
Both imitate someone with "a certain physical condition". That physical condition is Muscular Dystrophy which they both raise money for, and try and raise awareness of. Owen Farrell dedicates all of his kicks to a young fan with Muscular Dystrophy that he does a lot for. I accept that it looks distracting / weird if you're not aware of that but good on them. Despite all the ragging that us fans give them most players from all countries and all codes do an awful lot of good work off the pitch (I personally know of an NRL player who does a huge amount of community work quietly and effectively).
Hosey G
Guest
My solution is to have penalties scored by dropkicking for goal rather than taking a lot of time with static penalty attempts. Then there is just the need to find a way for teams to not give away so many penalties. It's very difficult as rugby needs to keep the contest for the ball at all times but not make it so hard that teams are too scared to attack.