Ex-All Black's three suggestions to help players and fans adjust to the new Super Rugby Aotearoa laws
The opening weekend of Super Rugby Aotearoa has been largely lauded as a success as huge crowds flocked to Forsyth Barr Stadium and Eden Park to watch the first matches of professional rugby since the coronavirus outbreak.
Bryn Gatland’s last-minute drop goal to steal a dramatic win for the Highlanders against the Chiefs – coached by his father Warren – and Beauden Barrett’s victorious Blues debut against his former side, the Hurricanes, were the two key talking points from the weekend’s action.
One point of confusion, though, was the interpretation of the new laws introduced to the New Zealand domestic competition.
The changes mostly focused on dealing with offsides and infringements at the breakdown, with referees imposing stricter officiating tactics throughout both matches.
Breakdown's been a real battle early doors. Lots of adjustments for players! #HIGvCHI pic.twitter.com/XQY9CrpnHq
— EK Rugby Analysis (@ek_rugby) June 13, 2020
Increased stringency on policing those two aspects of the game is expected throughout the entirety of Super Rugby Aotearoa, with the aim of creating a safer game at the breakdown and more space for attacking sides against rushing defences.
That resulted in a total of 58 penalties being blown across the weekend, with 80 percent of those going against the attacking team.
Speaking on Sky Sport‘s The Breakdown on Tuesday, former Chiefs playmaker and recently-retired referee Glen Jackson said he was unsurprised by the high penalty count, but believed it was for the greater good of the game.
“First of all, I don’t think it was a surprise,” he told host Jeff Wilson. “What they were told was going to happen, actually happened, so that’s good.
“For a refereeing team, they can quite often go out and feel the pressure that there’s too many penalties and go off the ball a little bit, but they actually delivered what they were told to do, which is what coaches want.
“I think the best one is the offside penalty. The last round of Super Rugby before COVID, there were 12 penalties in six games for offside. We had 12 penalties in two games [on the weekend]. As a coach, you want space in the game.
“The biggest thing I ever hear as a referee is ‘Why aren’t you reffing the offside line?’.
“So, there were some tight penalty calls, [but] you would rather see offside than these fast line speed [defences] that you’re seeing in the game now, just shutting down people’s opportunities, and I think that’s a really good positive.”
Former All Blacks wing Sir John Kirwan agreed with Jackson’s sentiments that stricter officiating of the offside line can be regarded as a positive to take out of the weekend.
However, the ex-Italy, Japan and Blues coach said there’s still not enough clarity for fans surrounding law interpretations made by referees of whom he believes are still under too much pressure.
“I thought the ref on Sunday [for the Blues vs Hurricanes match] was pedantic, it’s not his fault, and I don’t want to beat up on refs because I think they’re doing a great job,” Kirwan said.
“Bryce Lawrence [New Zealand Rugby referees manager] has told them to be really strong in the first week or so, so that the players understand, but I think there’s too much, still, on the referee.
“There’s a couple of things I’d like to change. I go down to the sideline, and there’s people saying ‘What the bloody hell’s that for?’. People don’t know what the rule’s for.”
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That led Kirwan to devise three ideas that could help make the game faster and easier to understand.
“Let’s say [there’s] still a lot of penalties after three weeks… after three penalties, of the same team, five-minute yellow card [should be handed out], because then players will stop pushing the law.
“30 seconds – like the basketball rule – when it’s a penalty, you kick for the touchline, you’ve got to throw the ball in within 30 seconds, so we’re speeding the game up.
Lastly, Kirwan suggested the implementation of a ref microphone so punters could hear the officials to understand what call is being made and why it was called that way.
Jackson didn’t fully support that final concept, however, highlighting the audio quality as one of two key reasons why such an innovation might not be so successful.
“I’ve reffed in a game where it’s happened at the stadium, and it sounds terrible,” Jackson said. “Not everyone actually wants to hear that.
“I like the idea of the public understanding what the referee’s decision is, but if I’m taking my nine-year-old daughter, she doesn’t want to hear the ref talking over the stadium.”
Instead, the former Saracens, Bay of Plenty and Maori All Blacks pivot offered a potential alternative.
“In the UK, they actually had a referee up on the big screen showing the signal, so it was just a signal with a caption underneath, so if you saw it, you saw it and understood the decisions.”
The new law interpretations will no doubt come back under the microscope this weekend when the second round of Super Rugby Aotearoa kicks-off between the Chiefs and Blues in Hamilton on Saturday.
That match will be followed by a clash between the Hurricanes and the back-to-back-to-back reigning Super Rugby champion Crusaders, who will make their first appearance in the new-look competition in Wellington on Sunday.
Comments on RugbyPass
An on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to comments