The Thursday rugby two-up: How the law variations have made an impact, and the ones we want to see next

The Rugby Championship was plunged into farce suddenly last week, and if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: nobody does politics like rugby.

But, after almost no thinking about it at all, I thought better of steering the guys down this line again, mainly because it was pretty obvious that things would change pretty quickly – certainly quick enough that questions posed earlier in the week would almost certainly have been out of date by today.

So we’ve not bothered – but also because it will just make for a nice chance to talk about stuff happening on the field again!

Instead, on this suddenly rugby-free weekend, now feels as good a time as any to have a look at the Law Variations approved for use in The Rugby Championship this season.

A quick reminder: these are the LVs in use through the tournament.

The World Rugby Executive Committee agreed to approve the following Global Law Trials for implementation for competitions commencing on or after August 1, 2021.

• 50:22: If the team in possession kicks the ball from their own half indirectly into touch inside their opponents’ 22, they will throw into the resultant lineout. The ball cannot be passed or carried back into the defensive half for the 50:22 to be played. The phase must originate inside the defensive half.
• Goal-line drop-out: If the ball is held up in-goal, there is a knock-on from an attacking player in in-goal or an attacking kick is grounded by the defenders in their own in-goal, then play restarts with a goal-line drop-out anywhere along the goal-line.
• Flying Wedge: To sanction the three-person pre-bound mini-scrum by redefining the flying wedge.
• One-man latch: To recognise the potential for 1-player pre-latching prior to contact, but this player must observe all of the requirements for a first arriving player, particularly the need to stay on their feet.
• Cleanout and safety of the Jackler: To introduce a sanction for clean outs which target or drop weight onto the lower limbs.

Also, World Rugby approved a SANZAAR request to include the 20-minute Red Card law trial that was used through Super Rugby this season, for both the Bledisloe Cup and The Rugby Championship.

Question 1: Of the new LVs in play for The Rugby Championship, which one do you think has already had or will have the biggest impact?

Nobes
It is difficult for me to comment on the new rules since I primarily disagree with putting new rules just before the tournament begins, and there are two of the four contenders that have already been playing with most of them while the other two have to adapt immediately.

Rugby training requires many repetitions and automation of movements, and it takes players some time to adapt to new ones and kick the old habits.

For a team like Los Pumas that already commits many penalties this is like pouring gasoline on fire. The result is a boring match.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

From the referees side it is also a problem and if rugby should be one of the most difficult sports to officiate, the interpretations and consistency from one referee to another vary too much, creating controversy and even more confusing players and spectators.

I am of the opinion that the changes should be slow and start in minor tournaments before reaching tournaments of the calibre of the Rugby Championship.

Digger
None, I do not see any real change to the way the game has been played out on the field, though in fairness it is ‘early days’ nor has outcomes being decided due to the rules changes.

Personally, I think the rule changes are nothing but candy floss, pie in the sky, searching for unicorn fantasy, let’s make the game more attractive rubbish.

None of them address the real problem areas of the game, such as the scrum or lineout mauls and speaks to how tone deaf the administrators are. Rugby is a game which can be played in many different styles and should be embraced, not fought against.

Empty stands provide more of a clue as to where efforts should be focused and the chance to see a player reel off a ’50-22’ isn’t going to solve it.

(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Harry
The Jackler Returns.

This LV is more than a rule tweak. It’s an orientation. A cultural shift.

David Pocock used to win entire Tests by himself. So, the skill of slowing-stopping-stealing-scotching spread, to hookers, even centres. Then, the clean out became so brutal on arms, wrists, and hands that only a few dared put themselves into the wood-chipper. Some teams eschewed the dark art.

As has been bemoaned and mourned ad infinitum on these pages, teams like South Africa “attack the attack” brutally.

The Boks have plenty of hyenas: Marx, Kitshoff, de Allende, Am, Faf, Etzebeth, even Kolbe; in addition to the actual loose forwards. Watch how few of them get blasted the way Louw, Pocock, and McCaw used to be.

It’s a huge boost to SA, who just made a very good Puma team (what did they do to the All Blacks last year?) look pedestrian.

(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

Geoff
I happen to be underwhelmed by all of the law variations.

I’m all for making any improvements if they are there to be made, but for as long as there are major, fundamental aspects of rugby that need attention, tinkering around the edges with goal-line dropouts, 50/22 kicks and binding entering the breakdown and so on do little more than make fans and TV commentators even more confused than they already were.

Are the Springboks about to change their suffocating, fast-rushing, umbrella-like defence because of the 50/22 kick law? Not for second. And why would they – it’s their choice to defend how they see fit.

If World Rugby don’t like it, and want to promote more open backline play, there is already an offside law.

Wouldn’t it be easier just to ensure that referees and assistant referees police that properly?

Brett
We haven’t seen it much yet, but I do think the 50/22 LV will have an impact, particularly as teams start kicking it back to South Africa and try and exploit the space one way the other.

And it’ll have an impact because it’s had an impact at every level it’s been in play. You might only see one come off every second game, but the threat of it is real, and teams know that they do need to defend differently at the back to lessen that threat.

Nobes does make a decent point, however, that it’s a bit rough to have brought the LVs in when the different teams have had different experiences (or no experience at all) with the LVs in question. That said, it was a World Rugby decision, not SANZAAR.

And even though this is true, the Springboks and Pumas have some of the better tactical kickers in international rugby. It wouldn’t at all surprise me to see that it’s actually those teams that gain the crucial set piece opportunity from an exit from their own 22.

Question 2: And which other LVs or what other Law tweak would you like to have seen in TRC this season?

Nobes
The rule that I would love to see something done is with the reset of scrums.

It is for me, and I assume many others, the most boring part of the game.

Do not get me wrong, I want to have scrums for many reasons, but I have watched games where in the last ten minutes or when a team is a man short the scrum goes down more often to consume minutes.

Digger
One major area to start with, the scrum. I feel treating the scrums harshly, zero tolerance will provide dividends. I am a big believer in allowing the players to sort it out themselves and a no-nonsense ref will bring the ‘best behaviour’ out of participants.

Also, a bit more common sense should be employed, if the ball can be cleared then do so. It’s frustrating to watch resets called when play can clearly continue.

Then, move onto the lineout maul and figure out how to make this a more even contest between the attacking and defensive sides. The mere fact so many penalties are awarded to the attacking side speaks to the unfairness of the current situation.

Nic White and the Australian scrum. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Harry
I would like kicks for goal to take no longer than 30 seconds. It’s plenty.

Tennis improved when the serve clock got real, and their heart rates are just as elevated or more, than rugby goal kickers. If it’s tight, drop kick. It would add suspense.

And all the jittery routines are silly. Give us those 45, 90 seconds back.

For South Africa, I’m watching our fullbacks, looking for someone to raise their hand to be Willie’s successor; possibly Fassi.

Geoff
In line with the first question, I’d like to see less focus on tweaks and more emphasis on agreeing on three or four big ticket items and having a red-hot crack at improving those.

Games being bogged down by scrum resets, too many scrums resulting in penalties (not as contradictory as it sounds), imbalance between offence and defence at attacking line out mauls, refining TMO involvement and processes to ensure fewer interruptions, keeping all the hangers-on off the field… that’s not too much to ask, is it?

Brett
I’d really like to see a crackdown on the second infringement after conceding penalty advantage, and it’s genuinely one of my biggest bugbears in the game.

Not unlike receiving said penalty advantage, conceding a second infringement while the ref’s arm is already pointing the other way is an absolute free hit in rugby.

The worst that can happen is it breaks the play down and they go back to the first infringement, and the second infringement is often ignored. Yes, referees will on occasion give captains a choice of which penalty they want, but more often than not, nothing happens.

James O’Connor kicks for goal. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

The problem is, I’m not entirely sure how to actually crack down on the second offence. I do think the second infringement in the defensive 22 should be an immediate yellow card – it’s the very definition of cynical play – and I’m even quite sure that would bring the practice to a reasonably abrupt halt.

But to do that, you’d have to bring play to a stop as well. And the danger might be that teams are still prepared to sacrifice a player if it means not giving up a lead, or worse, losing a game.

OVER TO YOU: Which LV can you see having an impact through The Rugby Championship?

And which other LVs or law tweaks should have been introduced for the tournament?