Beaumont's radical suggestion met with mixed reaction
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont has shown an interest in a major change in the laws of rugby which would see players substituted only if they were injured.
This is not too dissimilar to a suggestion recently made by referee Nigel Owens, and while it may seem like a move back towards the amateur era, it is an attempt to reduce the number of injuries in the game.
Such a radical law change has been met with a mixed reaction, with as many people seemingly for it as against it.
The rationale behind such a move is to encourage players to play the entirety of a match, limiting the emphasis on size and strength, and rather prioritising skill and endurance. This would reduce the size of players and therefore lessen the intensity of collisions. Furthermore, it cuts out the common risk in the game of fresh players from the bench coming up against fatigued players towards the end of each match.
Reduce the number of available subs, making it more likely that teams will keep them for necessary, not tactical substitutions. Would remove the 50/30 minute gym bunnies.
— Charlie Thomas (@CThomas663) January 27, 2020
Reduce number of subs. The problem is players being conditioned to play 50 mins, therefore fitness is second to strength. If you decrease subs it means players have to be fitter = smaller, therefore reduce injury. Plus think of excitement in last twenty with gaps every where.
— John Mounter (@john10mounter) January 27, 2020
I agree with him. It'll enforce players to have the aerobic ability to last 80 which will likely lead to a reduction in size and power for many forwards. Also increases the chances of mismatches late in games which increases the stock of smaller faster players
— Rob Hill (@3003Rob) January 27, 2020
While this is the theory behind such an idea, some fear that it will not work in practice, and it will actually increase the number of fatigue-related muscle injuries in the game as players burnout. Another concern is that the tackle technique of fatigued players will only deteriorate in the latter stages of the game, which will create more injury problems.
Of course, this is why there would be a greater emphasis on the stamina of players and their ability to last 80 minutes in order to avoid these problems.
Surely it’s impossible to police?
— Howie Gosling (@Howgozza) January 27, 2020
Uncontested scrums? The equivalent of Bloodgate when someone is having a mare?
— karen Wright (@RuggerHugger70) January 27, 2020
Bill Beaumont Is a moron then. Muscle fatigue will make up the vast majority of injuries. Preventing players getting in the ‘red zone’ is the only way to prevent this squads aren’t big enough to completely rotate 15 every game.
— . (@s_n_e_l_l_s) January 27, 2020
I don’t think it will work, an exhausted player could be at risk of far greater injury
— Sean (@Seanponty) January 27, 2020
One thing that does seem inevitable is the chance of players feigning injuries, and consequently how hard this will be to police. Already teams find ways around blood and head injury assessment replacements so that they can bring players on when they choose, and Beaumont’s law change will only increase the amount of subterfuge and underhand tactics in a match.
It has also been stressed that this should only be in the higher tiers of the game, as such a law in grassroots rugby would stultify and hamper the inclusivity of players.
Ultimately, Beaumont and World Rugby’s goal is to limit the number of injuries across the game, and an idea like this may be trialled soon to see its success.
Watch: Chris Whitaker Waratahs interview
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie 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.
45 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.
7 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.
45 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? 😂
45 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 comments