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England international wants conversions scrapped and teams penalised for time-wasting

By Online Editors
John Cooney of Ulster kicks a conversion. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Brian Moore with the Daily Telegraph

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Last Saturday, Harlequins and Leicester attracted a crowd of 75,000 due to a lot of hard work done to make the off-field spectator experience good in terms of entertainment and atmosphere. On the field, both sides tried to play decent rugby, but there were interminable breaks in play that could be eradicated to make watching more enjoyable.

The problem is that administrators, coaches, players, referees and media do not view games in the same way as the average spectator. They are already interested parties and when these things happen, they are analysing, discussing and communicating – they are not just sitting there waiting for the action to resume.

They need to, as I did last Saturday, sit in the crowd with ordinary spectators and see what happens and what is said during these delays. For the crowd, nothing occurs, and they get frustrated and eventually bored. Remember that it is only by converting casual or first-time watchers that rugby will grow.

You should also note that the examples given could not be excused by officials having to check decisions or possible injuries to players; they happened because nobody wanted to do things differently and were content with the status quo.

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There are four areas to focus on: kicks at goal, lineouts, scrums and defensive box kicks. The examples do not include occasions when officials were checking something else and some counted as ball-in-play time. Some advocate stopping the clock during delays, but that gives no incentive to get going and means referees and players dally because they think time is made up. This makes games last longer and the average first-class match is now taking almost 100 minutes. What does not change is the fact that for the spectator it is time when, for all practical purposes, nothing happens.

I would remove conversions and make a try seven points. Why should a thrilling back movement, resulting in a try in the corner, have a much more difficult extra two points than one driven over near the posts after an attritional succession of short drives from rucks? Take away the minute allowed to complete a conversion and you probably free up five minutes in an average game.

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Penalty kicks at goal are also supposed to be completed within a minute of the intention to kick at goal being signalled. However, the George Ford goal-kick, from Kyle Sinckler’s high tackle, took 1?min 45?sec from penalty award to completed kick. The referee allowed 45 seconds before he signalled the decision.

The minute time limit should be from when the referee specifies the position of the penalty. If the kicking side want to endlessly debate their options fine – but they will just cut down the time their kicker has to complete a shot at goal. Given the average number of kicks at goal, you would free up another two or three minutes, and that is being conservative.

Also, apart from the problem of too many resets, the time taken to form and complete scrums is unacceptable. One Quins five-yard scrum took 1½ minutes before it was eventually resolved. It was 45 seconds before the packs got into a position where the referee could call the engagement. There is no reason why both packs cannot be set for engagement within 25 seconds of the mark being specified.

Many lineouts had the same problem. To illustrate the point, take one Leicester attacking lineout. From the point the ball went into touch, it took 20 seconds for both lineouts to form and Leicester to throw the ball in. At other times it was well over a minute before the throwing side finished their huddled debate, got into position and made the throw.

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How about for lineouts and scrums having an NFL-style delay of game call? Go over a specified time limit and the set-piece is moved 10 yards back or forward or the put-in/throw-in is reversed, depending on which side offend.

Finally, caterpillar box kicks. A ruck is over when the ball is clearly won, not when it is in the ideal position for the scrum-half to box-kick. With each player added to a defensive blocking line, you take another few seconds for the No? 9 to roll-kick it into his optimum position. Referees should call “play it” as soon as it is won and count the five seconds out loud and then enforce the law.

Make these changes and I guarantee a haste, presently claimed to be impossible, will miraculously occur. With all these issues addressed we could probably remove at least 10 minutes from the boring time now being foisted on the paying public.

Why would any professional game, said to be in the entertainment industry, not do this?

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and is republished with permission.

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Jon 5 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 8 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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A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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T
Trevor 12 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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