Rugby is in trouble. And the reason it’s in trouble is because of the laws. You know you have a problem when there are different interpretations of the rules of the game from one hemisphere to another. I mean, really, how is that possible? How can the same set of laws in the north and south be applied differently? How can one umpire blow his whistle and another umpire not see the same foul, foul or foul? The laws are the same. You know there’s a problem when the two teams have to have a pre-match…
Rugby is in trouble. And the reason it’s in trouble is because of the laws.
You know you have a problem when there are different interpretations of the rules of the game from one hemisphere to another. I mean, really, how is that possible?
How can the same set of laws in the north and south be applied differently? How can one umpire blow his whistle and another umpire not see the same foul, foul or foul? The laws are the same.
You know there’s a problem when the two teams have to meet with the referee before the game to discuss how he’s going to handle certain parts of the game. Seriously, how can this be? A law is a law and rules are rules.
Rugby needs to clear up its laws very quickly. Fans are getting tired of it by the day and coaches and players are at their wits’ end.
There are a few areas that I think should be clarified and resolved as soon as possible, the biggest being the approach.
The principle of the tackle is to stop the momentum and too often the tackler is punished for doing what he has to do, for applying a key principle in rugby.
All attention has shifted to the tackler and he is punished for the slightest mistake or mishap, whether it be judgment or technique.
But what about the ball carrier? He can do just about anything. He can run upright, dive, fend off, just one wrong call from the tackler and he’s in the bin – a big game-changer, every time.
What is the fair game like when one team – the attacking team – has the advantage?
What must a player of the size of Eben Etzebeth do to legally tackle someone of the size of Herschel Jantjies? How often will Etzebeth be high on Jantjies? Is it a fair match?
The outage is also a controversial area, with the attacking team again taking precedence.
The defending team barely stands a chance at a ruck and, if we’re fair, an umpire could potentially blow up some players for fouls at the fault, but they often let things slide to keep play going – this can’t be being right.
And then there are the scrums. They are a mess. Referees do their best and I’m sure they don’t cheat, but often it’s pure guesswork.
If you were to take four umpires, put them in four different rooms, and ask them to referee the same scrum, you’d probably get four different interpretations and decisions.
That’s not right, and that’s why we have a problem.
For now, until World Rugby can figure out how to fix the problem during scrum time, I recommend making the scrum a starting point for the game’s sequel, rather than a match. I know this would cause several problems and is not the long term solution, but right now scrums are a mess anyway. It doesn’t help the game.
We need clarity on the laws. And we need it soon.