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'Asleep at the wheel' - UK rugby journalist takes aim at World Rugby over letting the game descend into 'tedious kick-fest'

By Online Editors
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

UK rugby journalist Stephen Jones is well known for his controversial takes on the modern game, and his latest remarks are no different.

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In a column for The Sunday Times, Jones took aim at World Rugby for being “asleep at the wheel” as he believes the sport has become a “tedious kick-fest.” He also suggested that stadiums introduce dispensers both for hand sanitiser, but also for spectators who need “the best embrocation for pains in the neck.”

Jones also took to Twitter on Sunday to express his frustrations further, seemingly demanding that World Rugby meet this week to discuss the “miserably bad” state of the game.

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Coach Eddie Jones reflects on England’s win over Wales in the Autumn Nations Cup.

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Coach Eddie Jones reflects on England’s win over Wales in the Autumn Nations Cup.

In Jones column, he wrote that the code can no longer be considered a display of ball handling and skill, as it has become ‘ghastly aerial ping-pong’ where ‘no one can be bothered’ to take the ball through phases.

“What was once known as the handling code has become a ghastly aerial ping-pong, and the strain on the neck muscles of followers as they crane to follow the ball has become intense,” he wrote

“There was a time when teams went through endless phases, which was not exactly easy on the eye either, but now no one can be bothered to take the ball through many phases at all.’’

Following weeks of test matches dominated by kicking in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, it’d be hard to argue that Jones’ comments don’t have any merit.

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Kicking dominated Saturday’s test between Wales and England, which left fans frustrated and bored. Instead, playing without the ball seems to be a go-to option for most teams.

While the All Blacks and the Wallabies kick plenty of ball away as they fight to win the territory battle, Argentina are arguably the best example of playing without the ball. While kicking often isn’t new to the Pumas style of play, it’s clearly beginning to work as rugby continues to evolve.

After the All Blacks historic loss to the Pumas in Sydney, and in the leadup to the Wallabies match against Argentina in Newcastle, coach Dave Rennie said that the “Pumas are happy to play without the ball.”

He added that “they really dominated the kicking stats last week, which was surprising, so the All Blacks held on to a lot of ball and made errors and got punished.”

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Even take the ‘rematch’ between the All Blacks and Pumas in Newcastle last weekend where the men in black kicked to earn the right to attack. Playmakers Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett were constantly putting chip kicks in-behind their opponents defence, contestable bombs, or simply just trying to relieve pressure.

It’s then unsurprising to see rugby fans side with Jones, with many offering up solutions on how to fix the 15-man code.

Kane Palma-Newport, who is an English player playing in France’s Pro D2 for US Colomiers, suggested two changes that would “make people contest more” which would then create “more space elsewhere.” Another fan also suggested that fewer substitutes might be the answer.

If any change comes from Jones’ Tweet or the reaction that followed is a waiting game, but the facts of it don’t lie in saying that there’s definitely some merit in looking into it.

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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