Kickers falling over, the ball drifting a mile wide or even backwards of the target, reverse conversions been taken from the perimeter of the dead ball line instead of directly in front of the posts – the early standard of goal kicking I’ve witnessed at the start of the New Zealand Sevens season has been ugly.
It begs the question: Are conversions worth the effort at all in Sevens?
At present in the World Rugby Series you’re allowed up to a maximum of 30 seconds per kick, so if 12 tries are scored in a match and the kickers use the whole of their allotted time on each kick, half of the match is spent on kicks. Is this not an exorbitant waste of time?
Blasphemy! Games and titles have been decided by conversions. This is true, but generally Sevens isn’t won by good goal kicking, so why bother?
In the 2017-18 World Rugby Sevens Series there were 2175 tries scored, of which 1714 were converted. That’s an overall success rate of 63 per cent.
Interestingly, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, three of the top four sides in the overall standings last season, kicked at below the average conversion rate.
Papua New Guinea, with a 75 per cent success rate, and France, with a 72 per cent success rate, were the best goal-kicking countries on the circuit. They finished in 13th and 17th places respectfully.
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
The standard of goal kicking is getting worse too. In the 2014-15 series the average was 65 per cent. In that series runners-up South Africa, third-place New Zealand and fifth-place Australia all scored below average when it came to conversion success rate. Argentina set the benchmark in 2014-15 with a conversion rate of 75 per cent, finishing in eighth place.
Eliminating the conversion could lead to a proliferation of penalties. This is not desirable.
Neither is punishing genuinely good goal kickers. Imagine if no conversions existed when exceptional goal kickers Ben Gollings and Tomasi Cama were playing. The effectiveness of those two would have been severely reduced. However, their value was surely greater than scoring conversions.
Perhaps conversions should be voluntary, introducing a strategic component as to when and where a team chooses to kick. Tough shots from out wide or that take too much time while chasing a deficit could be avoided, but other chances could be taken.
Sevens has entered the Olympic stratosphere, and any measure that could improve an already attractive spectacle is surely worth at least pondering.
rebel
Roar Guru
I get what you mean, some people don't even use a comma before a coordinating conjunction.
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
2 points: - Your maths is a bit awry. 12 tries with 30 seconds per kick is 6 minutes. This isn't half the match, as sevens are 7 minutes a half, aren't they? (Finals used be 10 minutes a half, but I think they've been reduced to 7 minutes each, too.) - Yellow cards in sevens are reduced from 10 minutes in the sin-bin for the XV-man version to 2. Reducing the time taken for a kick from 90 seconds to 15-20 would be in line with this reduction.
Peter
Guest
OK, I am an admitted grammar fanatic. Nevertheless, I think we should apportion blame where it is due, and that is not the writers of the articles. The people at fault are The Roar's appalling headline writers and sub-editors. I suspect that most of them know little or nothing about rugby, and are employed for their ability to form a really bad "punny "phrase.
Stu
Roar Rookie
I was just going to rant once about terrible English skills.. But now the title has been changed from "conversations" to "coversions", which isn't even a real word. Haha, keep the comedy gold coming, Roar *Gurus*!
Wal
Roar Guru
Historical hangover is the only answer. Its call a Try because it earnt you the right to "try" and kick a goal "Until 1891, a try scored one point, a conversion two. For the next two years, tries scored two points and conversion three. In 1893, the modern pattern of tries scoring more was begun, with three points awarded for a try, two for a kick."
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Are conversions in any form of rugby useful at all, apart from as a breather for the players and a chance to go to the fridge/bar? Why is a brilliant team try scored in the corner worth only 5 points 80-90% of the time while a flukey interception try scored under the post worth 7 99% of the time?
Stu
Roar Rookie
Why would anyone take Roar opinion seriously when the great majority of posters and editors can't even spell, or proof read before they post? Everyone wants the Wallabies to be accountable for excellence and take their expert advices constantly yet most here can't even master English? Conversations.. lol. Soz, Bro's.
Wayne
Roar Guru
I found conversations in the Rugby 7s to be very beneficial; once I got to the bar after a game :)
Atawhai Drive
Roar Guru
Let's have a conversation about conversions.
London Waratah
Guest
I doubt conversations are worth it in 7s...so out of breath you can't speak umost of the time.