Hawkeye in rugby? George Ford is not so sure
George Ford says England aim to be “whiter than white” when observing the offside line in the hope of escaping the type of penalty that could ruin their World Cup.
While the officiating of dangerous tackles has dominated headlines at Japan 2019, there have also been contentious offside decisions made with Argentina, Ireland and Australia voicing dismay over instances in which they claim it has not been policed correctly.
A report on Tuesday states that World Rugby is looking to introduce Hawk-Eye technology to ensure it is enforced, but the PA news agency understands there are no plans to have it installed in the belief it is unworkable.
Ford insists England’s approach is unambiguous, knowing the impact a penalty can have.
“It’s pretty clear as a player. We see it as being pretty clear anyway. We want to make it clear that we are onside and that’s for the referees to interpret,” the Leicester playmaker said.
“Our aim is to be whiter than white in terms of that because the thing we’ve seen is that one penalty can change the momentum of the game massively.
“A lot of them are coming from offside and it’s something we want to be ultra disciplined in.
“You want the offside line to be refereed well. It’s a rule, it’s crystal clear and you want it to be refereed well.”
When asked about Hawk-Eye, Ford said: “I’m not too sure how it would work or what effect it would have.
“Rather than the offside line, the key for a fly-half is the speed of ball at the ruck. If you get speed of ball at the ruck then they can’t come off the line anyway, they’re on the back foot. That’s the key to attacking the line.”
Watch how Hawk-eye technology is supporting referees, the disciplinary process and concussion spotting at #RWC2019 https://t.co/I9giE4iIzI #rugby via @worldrugby
— dominic rumbles (@dominicrumbles) September 23, 2019
England defence coach John Mitchell reckons there is a benefit to insisting players are onside when rushing up to shut down an an attack.
“It is a critical behaviour that your defence is onside and we are very strong on that in our programme. It’s something we won’t ignore,” Mitchell said.
“The more space you take off the line the faster off the line you can be. All the things you expected the tournament to present are there.”
The last time Joe Marler played the Pumas, he was involved in an incident that led to a seven-week ban for one Argentina player.https://t.co/mDyoiJ4Xai
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 30, 2019
England’s Pool C campaign continues with Saturday’s crucial showdown with Argentina in Tokyo, where they could guarantee their passage into the quarter-finals.
Head coach Eddie Jones names his team on Thursday and is considering whether to persist with the twin playmaker combination of Ford and Owen Farrell inside the rampaging Manu Tuilagi, who is enjoying a stunning Test revival.
The Ford-Farrell access served England well earlier in Jones’ reign and has been revisited to superb effect since the Six Nations.
“I’ve obviously played with Owen through the age groups and a fair bit at senior level so the understanding is good between us,” Ford said.
“Owen is a bit more ferocious in the way he plays, he really takes it to them in terms of his aggression. I’m a little bit more calm and relaxed, so it’s probably a good combination.”
– PA
Comments on RugbyPass
Brayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
4 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
26 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to comments