'Asleep at the wheel' - UK rugby journalist takes aim at World Rugby over letting the game descend into 'tedious kick-fest'
UK rugby journalist Stephen Jones is well known for his controversial takes on the modern game, and his latest remarks are no different.
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.
World Rugby must meet this week. Test rugby has become a Desperate arena of cannonade kicking dull mini rucks and skill free ‘attacking’. Miserably bad
— Stephen Jones (@stephenjones9) November 29, 2020
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.
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.”
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.
Two ways to change rugby for the better;
When a team knocks on, they have to allow the other team to get it and play it. They can’t kill it.
Rule two, if teams don’t compete at the line outs, the throw can be not straight! Make people contest more. More space else where.— Kane Palma-Newport (@kanokano123) November 29, 2020
The stat that the teams who kicks the most, win the most was the saddest I’d ever heard.
— Paul Clifton Photography (@paul_clifton) November 29, 2020
Fewer subs. Attrition used to be part of the game, especially upfront. Worked to dominate opponent and then enjoy the spoils. Now he subbed off. Also fewer subs/more attrition would change the power/skill balance, reduce impact of hits and improve player welfare. My two cents.
— pat younge (@tcmbigcheese) November 29, 2020
Also players must bind when joining ruck. No “torpedoes” at ruck and penalise anyone taking out players beyond the breakdown.
— Ian Wilson (@wilsoib) November 29, 2020
1. 5 replacements : 3 front row plus any two others
2. Box kicking in 22 only
3. Remove reverence given to jackals by making would be jackaler take one step beyond the ball before being allowed to handle it.
4. Stop clock as soon as scrum is awarded, restart on ‘Set’.
Others?— huw lewis (@huwlewis2) November 29, 2020
Treat kicks to touch from a pen as a free kick rather than a way to march up the field.
Make sure referees understand it’s only a penalty if the player on the deck is holding on, not that the jackaler is just lying on top of it
22 dropout instead of scrum 5
D mark anywhere
— Ged Hall (@GedHall5) November 29, 2020
Tackled player must release the ball immeadiately. No jackling. Must drive the opposition off the ball
— GavinAllinson (@GavinAllinson) November 29, 2020
Referees applying the laws of the game correctly, stop the clock prior to a scrum being set, end the caterpillar ruck, box kicks only in your own 22. Real basic elements without major tinkering as starters for ten.
— Matthew Driver (@matthewdriver07) November 29, 2020
The only way is to get rid of the rush defence. Not sure how that is going to happen though unless they make the offside line a couple of metres behind the ruck. But that would be hard to police too.
— Scotty P (@ScottyP6849) November 29, 2020
What about every kick in open play (ie. not free kicks or pens) from outside your 22 that lands in the opposition’s half can be marked?
— Craig OD (@craig_od) November 29, 2020
Really not enjoying watching test rugby as are a load of friends. Few ideas stop bringing on’ finishers’ not helping at all, if catching the ball from a kick in your own half the mark rules are in place, 10m offside rule from scrums or lineouts anytime.
— Gareth Wynne- Morgan (@GarethMorgan18) November 29, 2020
Ban box kicking from rucks, unless within the 22. Better reffing of Rucks to make them more competitive – players are constantly sealing off and coming in at the side to protect own ball & its not often picked up.
— Paul Shipton (@Shippo17) November 29, 2020
They need to clamp down on the 5 second rule at ruck time,ban the caterpillar ruck as it’s basically obstruction and limit kicking to say 4 kicks per half for each team,therefore making them play the rest of the half when they have used their kicks up!!#ActNowIRB
— Michael Scott (@michael79109584) November 29, 2020
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.
Comments on RugbyPass
Christie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
44 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
5 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
44 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
44 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis 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”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
4 Go to commentsBut 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.
44 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
44 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to comments