At the end of the Cold War, Francis Fukuyama prophesied that history had come to an end. As the most effective form of government, western liberal democracy was on an inevitable march to becoming the final form of rule.
Men’s Test rugby too has been an ideological war, this one between penalty goal accumulating accountants and the craftsmen of beautiful tries. This history too has ended – accountancy has proved the most effective form of winning rugby.
History finally ended on 21 October 2023. On that evening in Paris, England and South Africa put together seven penalties, a drop goal, and a converted try. Aside from the drop goal, all points were scored from penalties. The try was also the result of a penalty, a kick to the corner, and the sort of lineout-maul-thing that had Wayne Smith so rightly turning over to watch animal documentaries.
Accountancy does not come more pure than this sad best-of of so many big games of the professional era, a blueprint for those of the future.
South Africa’s Handre Pollard kicks at goal against England. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Because, at the end of history, rugby has become penalties. In the knockout stages of the 2023 World Cup, there was a penalty every second minute of play (average number of penalties in finals: 18.375; average ball in play time throughout the tournament: 34.18 minutes).
Penalties are not only in the tackle, the ruck, and the scrum, they are also the best possible result on each occasion. Penalties amplify the importance of arbitrary refereeing decisions, are a major contributor to stoppages and dead time, and fundamentally undermine the try.
More, a fear of spilling penalties is responsible for the conservatism choking the game – from excessive kicking and the related focus on field position to the domination of forward play, an unwillingness to play with ball in hand, the ever diminishing number of offloads, and an over reliance on attacking defence. It is the laws of the game, rather than the coaches and players, that have made test rugby the disappointment it so often is today.
No team has embraced penalty-goal accumulating accountancy more wholly than South Africa, and no team has been remotely as successful. South Africa have won four of the eight world cups they have played in. In those four finals victories, they have accumulated 18 penalty goals, two drop goals, and two tries. This is the winning “ugly” that English prop Joe Marler admits his team has embraced and that ever more teams, in the pursuit of victory, must embrace.
History could have been different. In 2009, rugby narrowly avoided becoming a beautiful game when World Rugby rejected the most important Experimental Law Variation of all, the replacement of long-arm penalties with their short-armed cousins. The transformation, in other words, of rugby as a game for penalty goals into a game for tries.
But as Fukuyama’s critics have shown, the march of history need not be inevitable. Structures can change. And if rugby is to truly become a great and even a global game, its structures must change. Penalties must be scrapped but for the three areas they are legitimate – offsides and professional fouls that inhibit attack, and foul play that sullies the game.
For that to happen, those of us everywhere who love rugby – for what it could be as much as what it is – need to stop being complicit.
We need to stop grumbling quietly about “the state of the game”, about inexplicable penalties deciding matches, about incessant kicking, about rugby ugly.
Rather, we need to stand together and make one clear and simple demand – scrap penalties now. If we do not, we know the future: in the dying minutes of the next Lions series, of the next World Cup final, there will be a contentious late penalty, a man suspiciously eyeing an unmoving set of goal posts, an anxious kick, a sad end to a spectacle that could have been. But we know something else too, for history has shown it time and again, it is the people who can force a revolution. Right now, rugby needs nothing less than that.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
It depends on which states your Aussie acquaintances are from. If they're from SA, Tas, Vic or WA there is only one code and that's Australian Football. In NSW and Queensland all four codes are played with Rugby League being bigger than the other three. Sydney is a divided by rugby type. Most of the Union clubs are in the East and North with only Parramatta, Penrith and Southern Districts from the South and West. I believe there is also an American Football competition.
Ruckin' Oaf
Roar Rookie
Not in this context.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Or you could enforce the head and shoulders being above the hips so the body weight is carried on the legs most of the time, and maybe the objective should be to get more forwards to the breakdown bound and pushing. I wrote an article on refereeing a while back and it was interesting talking to some and then exchanging comments on the article. They are very disciplined and systematic in how they approach decisions and decide which infringements should be ignored or penalised. Referees need to have more confidence in refereeing the way they see it. World Rugby needs to spend time and money getting referees together more often, by themselves, to work through interpretations and arrive at a general consensus as to how the laws are best applied. Just as Australian rugby needs to take the game back from Rugby Australia, perhaps referees need to take back refereeing. I try and surrender rule interpretation to the referee, it makes it easier to enjoy the game. Apart from that it usually turns out that what I think is contentious, actually isn't. Admittedly this has been easy to do as a Waratah and Wallaby supporter, we rarely lose because of a contentious decision. Hopefully I will be tested in 2024.
Footy Franks
Roar Rookie
There are way too many penalties, rucks and mauls should be a free for all and less penalty’s for scrums.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
If it was 6 points for a penalty instead of 3, you'd see a lot more tries.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
I'm a pom, but apparently, so I've been told by Aussie acquaintances, Aussies don't like Rugby Union because of all the kicking, so they watch Aussie Rules instead. I haven't got the heart to say anything...
FunBus
Roar Rookie
What, you think the Wallabies or Boks are playing more attractive rugby than France, Ireland or Scotland?
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
It is the reason for Australia's position in the world game.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Just one example Muglair ..We had coach Foster complaining that Kwagga Smith in the final effected a vital turnover whilst he was not supporting his own body weight ..He had a hand on the ground …But the Law says he may have his hand on the ground providing he is supporting his own body weight ..Unless its blatantly obvious how on earth does the ref know ..Or maybe he is supporting say 10 or 20 % ..It just becomes subjective speculation ..So toss the rule out and let players support their own body weight period ..Gonna lead to more turnovers for sure but far less contentious penalties .and one less thing for the ref to have to watch out for…..Thats fine ..
Muglair
Roar Rookie
The real problem is in consistency of application. Every test window (NH- 6N & Spring) (SH- June & RC) the referees should be brought together in one room to go through passages of play, controversies, penalties etc from the previous test window. A couple of days, by themselves. In less than a year we would get consistency and probably some good guidance on changes required. The current whisperer system where somebody talks to individual referees (aka employees) would not work in any sphere of human endeavour.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
The Laws certainly need simplifying..Not so much for the fans sake but for that of the refs ..Look at every single Law individually and if it provides a basis for subjectivity or interpretation them see how it can be rewritten or even if needs be scrapped ....But wholsale revolutionary changes as proposed here ? Nah ..Old saying ..Be careful what you wish for ..
Gary Russell-Sharam
Roar Rookie
Could not agree more with your dissertation, it says exactly what Rugby needs to day. There are so many penalties that have come into our game. Like the knock on when you try to intercept a ball and it is ruled a deliberate knock down and then draws a penalty. Just play the knock on and be done with it. There is so much wasted time in a game of rugby its like watching grass grow, like watching test cricket. It takes nearly 3 to 4 minutes to set a scrum or a line out, I mean how difficult is this. back a while ago it took max 30 to 40 seconds to set a scrum. If you don't believe me have a look at rugby test matches that were played in the 70s. Line outs were the same even the winger sometimes threw into the line out. We introduced all these pedantic rules and regulations but all its done is make the game less appealing and like watching paint dry. Streamline the penalties and only allow the TMO to concentrate on tries and foul play.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
I would still like to see the "immediate" release of the ball, and the contestants at the breakdown with their head and shoulders above the hips. The question is does that bring more forwards to the breakdown, or less?
Muglair
Roar Rookie
The team with the lower penalty count is most often referred to as "the winner". The loser is often referred to as "the team with less possession and territorial advantage during the game", "poorly coached", "tactically naïve", "unskilled and poorly conditioned" etc. Usually by observers who fail to notice the insurmountable problems with the laws of the game.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
I am not sure how many laws do not relate to inhibiting attack, or trying to gain an unfair advantage. Equally unsure how many infringements at the breakdown are not professional fouls. I would like to see somebody identify all of the complex laws that need to be removed from the game. Most are one or two lines comprised of one and two syllable words. Some laws could and should be more tightly enforced, but it is always hard to analyse the full consequences of changing one law. Everybody involved at Stellenbosch will go to their graves reminding is that they had to be introduced as one package, not piecemeal, and maybe that ship has now sailed. Ditto reducing the value of penalties, why not infringe and give away two points to save against the possibility of seven points? The only antidote to that is more cards. Receiving a three point penalty as a reward for pressure and territory is not unreasonable but I do agree introducing distance as a criteria maybe fairer; 3 points within the 22, 2 points within the half and one point from your own half. If there was one law I would like to see enforced is forcing the 'jackal' to maintain his head and shoulders above his hips, removing the need for violent clean outs, and giving momentum to the attacking side. Any change discouraging pick and dives 1 metre from the line would also be welcome.
Ballymore Brumby
Roar Pro
Gotta give huge points for tying rugby to Fukuyama! Even if the last 20 years have proven Fukuyama wrong. I'd say Huntington's Clash of Civilizations thesis is more appropriate for the current state of rugby. The fundamental differences between the Northern and Southern hemisphere's cultural approaches to rugby is pretty apt.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
The Wallabies haven’t played an ‘exciting brand of rugby’ for about 20 years.
Ruckin' Oaf
Roar Rookie
Which is kinda irrelevant as to Australia position in the world game.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
No, the rest of Australia don't play Rugby because they play Australian Football. Rugby is not popular in NSW and Qld but the other states haven't produced a Wallaby that I know of.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Whether the mythical Suzie exists or not who knows …But it makes a great story …That players got ill is beyond doubt ..No arguments ..But I’ve said this before …If you order seafood in a Joburg restuarant , which apparently the All Blacks or some at least did…beware ! At the time there were strict regulations for transporting seafood from the coast to the inland ..A catch could literally lie in storage for weeks before paperwork etc got completed .That also created a thriving blackmarket ..You had no idea where the fish came from or if it was just something caught in a local polluted dam and passed off as seafood fresh from Capetown. We were aware of that as locals for years ……It could just as well have been a simple case of food poisoning …. rule of thumb ..In Jozi …bevaar the seafood ..But personally ..I prefer the Suzie version ..Much more fun :stoked: