Rugby...

['Dale]

Aah

So satisfying

The Blitzbokke takes ???? in Doebaai

[CAAD4]

Lekker

[Frosty]

Strange though is the splitting of the Tests

 

Jhb

Cape Town

Jhb

 

Maybe they trying to push more SAA flights

Altitude factor

[Frosty]

Some humor in this article... #overprotected scrummies

 

 

https://www.sareferees.com/News/law-discussion-overprotected-scrumhalves/2831381/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

 

Law discussion: overprotected scrumhalves?

 

Selected Article image

Change the laws and you change the game. Add in ways of playing that are not laws and you have, perhaps, set the game on an unhappy road. And this may be the case of altered laws to make a scrumhalf's life easier.

 

In the beginning it was not so, not easy at all.

 

When the game moved from hill and dale and from the streets of a town to the playing fields of great schools, it achieved a measure of control and even laws to regulate the way the game could be played.

 

The laws were important, for they determined what sort of game it was. Tiddlywinks and rugby differ because the laws/rules of the games differ.

 

When the game got to schools its aim (goal) changed. Instead of taking the game's prize (later a ball) back to the leader's house, it was taken forward to the opponents' house. It was a game that took the ball forward - a game for forwards. But as they marched forward they left a player back at the home goal to guard it. He was the whole way back, fully back, the fullback. They filled the space, growing with the forwasrd advance, with two players who were half-way back, the halfbacks whose main task was to fall on the ball if the opponents broke back. For their trouble they risked been manhandled, especially by flaying boots.

 

Then there were players three-quarter way back, the three quarters, and the game developed.

 

Into the 20th century the two half backs would take turns to be close to the forwards or away from them. Then along came the famous Harlequin, Adrian Stoop, and he developed different responsibilities for each half, one called the scrumhalf, who was close to the forwards, and the other further away, called sometimes the outhalf or stand-off half or flyhalf or, in New Zealand, the 1st five-eighth from the fraction between a half and a three-quarter.

 

The post-Stoop scrumhalf was to be a link between forwards and backs. In essence it was to take the precious ball which the forwards won and give it to the flyhalf. This he did under great pressure from the opposing forwards. It took great skill and courage to be a scrumhalf.

 

A lawyer in the Boland town of Moorreesburg developed the dive pass to get the ball and his passing actions safely away from the forwards while being able to look at and concentrate on the flyhalf. The lawyer's name was Freddie Luyt. The man who developed the dive pass and made it famous was Danie Craven.

 

It had its place in the game though it was criticised for taking the scrumhalf off his feet and out of the game. That meant that there was a place for the standing pass. But the standing pass rendered the scrumhalf more exposed to opposing marauders, and so changes were made to the law to create greater space and security for the scrumhalf. What he did for himself now became the law's responsibility.

 

The scrumhalf was vulnerable for years because there was no offside line at the ruck. In fact there was nothing defined as or regulated as a ruck.

 

It is not till 1964 that the ruck came into the laws and then it was called the loose scrum. And in that loose scrum, the ball was the offside line. Which meant that opponents intent on laying waste the scrumhalf could advance on him as the ball moved backwards towards him.

 

Then it got its own name from ancient Norsemen - a ruck, a jumble of players fighting for the ball. And inevitably this new concept got laws and an increasingly important place in rugby football. A wise old priest who coached rugby at Blackrock College in Dublin, Father Anthony Hampson, once proclaimed: "After the grace of God, the most important thing in life is quick ball from a ruck."

 

Then along came changes that sought to protect the scrumhalf, but which gave birth to the deliberately slow ruck, the scrumhalf standing rolling the ball under the sole of a boot, the scrumhalf with hands on the ball and foot back for as he prepares to kick. There is even a bit of non-law that is applied - that the ruck is not over even if the scrumhalf has hands on the ball until the scrumhalf lifts the ball.

 

The dive pass is rarely used nowadays when the scrumhalf has greater protection. No longer is the ball the offside line.

 

Now passing the ball as accurately as possible - in front and at waist high - is no longer the scrumhalf's prime responsibility. He came to be praised and received awards for kicking, running and tackling whether or not he could pass the ball quickly and accurately. The laws now give him room to pick the ball up and take paces before shovelling the ball at some targetted player, cutting down the space to potential creators of opportunities and leaving them vulnerable to rush defence.

 

But instead of creating more space for a more creative game, it may well have dumbed the game down to predictable repetition and tedium. The statistic of more ball in play may be a misleading one. Phases are counted but in effect they are often the same phases repeated, sometimes more than 15 times in one sequence.

 

Look at the World Cup Final, arguably the top match of four years of rugby.

 

The ball came back the scrumhalves something like 137 times. The scrumhalves kicked 16 times - that new rugby phenomenon the box kick, aided and abetted by restricting the mark/fair catch to within the defenders 22. Each scrumhalf ran with the ball twice. They passed it 119 times - 62 times to a forward, 34 times to the flyhalf and 23 times to another back. More than half the passes were to a forward.

 

It may well not have been what law-makers intended or wanted. It may well be an example of the law of unintended consequences.

 

It may just be a better idea to suggest that the ruck is over when the scrumhalf plays the ball, i.e. touches it by hand or foot.

 

It may even be enough to apply an existing law.

 

Law 15 DURING A RUCK

11. Once a ruck has formed, no player may handle the ball unless they were able to get their hands on the ball before the ruck formed and stay on their feet.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Frosty

[Frosty]

World Rugby have introduced a set of law amendments which will be trialled at various tournaments this year in a bid to improve player safety and reduce the risk of injuries, the governing body said on Monday.

 

The trials were approved for the four-year law amendment review cycle that began after the 2019 World Cup following an analysis by the Law Review Group last March and several unions expressed interest in operating one or more of the trials.

The High Tackle Technique Warning, which was trialled at the World Rugby U20 Championship and reduced concussions by more than 50%, will now be trialled in the Super Rugby championship which begins on Jan. 31 and also the Top 14 in France.Preventing dangerous high tackles remains a high priority for World Rugby as they look to reduce the number of concussions.

 

"While the recent Rugby World Cup demonstrated a slight decrease in injury rates and a 30% reduction in concussions owing to the implementation of evidence-based injury prevention programmes, we can and must do more to reduce injuries at all levels," World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said in a statement.

 

"We've already seen hugely encouraging initial outcomes and feedback from Australia's National Rugby Championship and are delighted to have such a broad range of elite and community leagues running trials thanks to the support of our unions and regions."

Reducing the tackle height to the waist is also part of the package of law amendments in a bid to reduce injuries to both the tackled player and tackler while also encouraging more offloads.

 

Teams will also have the opportunity to review yellow cards for players sent to the sin bin so that those guilty of dangerous foul play are rightly awarded a red card instead of a yellow.

 

The Law Review Group will reconvene in March to review the trials' results before making recommendations to the Rugby Committee.

 

The other amendments to be trialled across the globe are:

 

* 50:22 kick - If the team in possession kicks the ball from inside their own half indirectly into touch inside their opponents' 22 or from inside their own 22 into their opponents' half, they will throw in to the resultant lineout.

* The introduction of an infringement (penalty and free-kick) limit for teams. Once a team has reached the limit, a mandatory yellow card is given to the last offending player as a team sanction.

* The awarding of a goal-line drop-out to the defending team when an attacking player, who brings the ball into in-goal, is held up. 

 

Reuters

[Shebeen]

World Rugby have introduced a set of law amendments which will be trialled at various tournaments this year in a bid to improve player safety and reduce the risk of injuries, the governing body said on Monday.

The trials were approved for the four-year law amendment review cycle that began after the 2019 World Cup following an analysis by the Law Review Group last March and several unions expressed interest in operating one or more of the trials.

 

The High Tackle Technique Warning, which was trialled at the World Rugby U20 Championship and reduced concussions by more than 50%, will now be trialled in the Super Rugby championship which begins on Jan. 31 and also the Top 14 in France.Preventing dangerous high tackles remains a high priority for World Rugby as they look to reduce the number of concussions.

"While the recent Rugby World Cup demonstrated a slight decrease in injury rates and a 30% reduction in concussions owing to the implementation of evidence-based injury prevention programmes, we can and must do more to reduce injuries at all levels," World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said in a statement.

"We've already seen hugely encouraging initial outcomes and feedback from Australia's National Rugby Championship and are delighted to have such a broad range of elite and community leagues running trials thanks to the support of our unions and regions."

Reducing the tackle height to the waist is also part of the package of law amendments in a bid to reduce injuries to both the tackled player and tackler while also encouraging more offloads.

Teams will also have the opportunity to review yellow cards for players sent to the sin bin so that those guilty of dangerous foul play are rightly awarded a red card instead of a yellow.

The Law Review Group will reconvene in March to review the trials' results before making recommendations to the Rugby Committee.

The other amendments to be trialled across the globe are:

* 50:22 kick - If the team in possession kicks the ball from inside their own half indirectly into touch inside their opponents' 22 or from inside their own 22 into their opponents' half, they will throw in to the resultant lineout.

* The introduction of an infringement (penalty and free-kick) limit for teams. Once a team has reached the limit, a mandatory yellow card is given to the last offending player as a team sanction.

* The awarding of a goal-line drop-out to the defending team when an attacking player, who brings the ball into in-goal, is held up.

 

Reuters

Those are all terrible law changes. Every single one

[Vetplant]

 

World Rugby have introduced a set of law amendments which will be trialled at various tournaments this year in a bid to improve player safety and reduce the risk of injuries, the governing body said on Monday.

 

The trials were approved for the four-year law amendment review cycle that began after the 2019 World Cup following an analysis by the Law Review Group last March and several unions expressed interest in operating one or more of the trials.

The High Tackle Technique Warning, which was trialled at the World Rugby U20 Championship and reduced concussions by more than 50%, will now be trialled in the Super Rugby championship which begins on Jan. 31 and also the Top 14 in France.Preventing dangerous high tackles remains a high priority for World Rugby as they look to reduce the number of concussions.

 

"While the recent Rugby World Cup demonstrated a slight decrease in injury rates and a 30% reduction in concussions owing to the implementation of evidence-based injury prevention programmes, we can and must do more to reduce injuries at all levels," World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said in a statement.

 

"We've already seen hugely encouraging initial outcomes and feedback from Australia's National Rugby Championship and are delighted to have such a broad range of elite and community leagues running trials thanks to the support of our unions and regions."

Reducing the tackle height to the waist is also part of the package of law amendments in a bid to reduce injuries to both the tackled player and tackler while also encouraging more offloads.

 

Teams will also have the opportunity to review yellow cards for players sent to the sin bin so that those guilty of dangerous foul play are rightly awarded a red card instead of a yellow.

 

The Law Review Group will reconvene in March to review the trials' results before making recommendations to the Rugby Committee.

 

The other amendments to be trialled across the globe are:

 

* 50:22 kick - If the team in possession kicks the ball from inside their own half indirectly into touch inside their opponents' 22 or from inside their own 22 into their opponents' half, they will throw in to the resultant lineout.

* The introduction of an infringement (penalty and free-kick) limit for teams. Once a team has reached the limit, a mandatory yellow card is given to the last offending player as a team sanction.

* The awarding of a goal-line drop-out to the defending team when an attacking player, who brings the ball into in-goal, is held up. 

 

Reuters

 

 

 

Those are all terrible law changes. Every single one

I like that they are trying new laws.

 

As far as I understand they are trying to reduce injuries by reducing the amount of defenders in and around the ruck.

 

The only way to know what the impact will be is to run the trials, I'm all for it.

[Shebeen]

I like that they are trying new laws.

 

As far as I understand they are trying to reduce injuries by reducing the amount of defenders in and around the ruck.

 

The only way to know what the impact will be is to run the trials, I'm all for it.

where do you read that??

 

 

 

 

"We've already seen hugely encouraging initial outcomes and feedback from Australia's National Rugby Championship and are delighted to have such a broad range of elite and community leagues running trials thanks to the support of our unions and regions."

Reducing the tackle height to the waist is also part of the package of law amendments in a bid to reduce injuries to both the tackled player and tackler while also encouraging more offloads.

Really, anything above belly button is a penalty now, am i reading this correctly?

 

Teams will also have the opportunity to review yellow cards for players sent to the sin bin so that those guilty of dangerous foul play are rightly awarded a red card instead of a yellow.

Nothing kills interest in a game quicker than a RED card, if anything they need to do away with them. and they are not consistent, a red card in the 17th and 70th minute have two totally different effects. My simple suggestion would be a red card results in the player leaving for 10 minutes and but then can be replaced by a sub off the bench.

 

The Law Review Group will reconvene in March to review the trials' results before making recommendations to the Rugby Committee.

 

The other amendments to be trialled across the globe are:

 

* 50:22 kick - If the team in possession kicks the ball from inside their own half indirectly into touch inside their opponents' 22 or from inside their own 22 into their opponents' half, they will throw in to the resultant lineout.

encourages more kicking into space, not sure this will improve the game will definitely result in more lineouts.

* The introduction of an infringement (penalty and free-kick) limit for teams. Once a team has reached the limit, a mandatory yellow card is given to the last offending player as a team sanction.

problem comes in when ref is dishing out 50/50 penalties, you get penalised twice for the same marginal calls. Bigger issue is that refs can award penalties to either side from basically every single movement of play.

* The awarding of a goal-line drop-out to the defending team when an attacking player, who brings the ball into in-goal, is held up. 

hmm, how is anything but an attacking scrum not the best option here? already it is often hard to see conclusive evidence of a grounding, now you just encouraging attaching players to dive all over the area to obscure cameras.

 

Reuters

 

[Frosty]

Original article from Reuters’ website... https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL4N29I25W

Edited January 14, 2020 by Frosty

[Vetplant]

where do you read that??

Can't remember now, but was discussed on one of the Rugby podcasts/video blogs in the past year. I don't think it was Squidge, might have been House of Rugby or The Breakdown.

 

You can see the theory to protect players behind most of the changes:

Tackle height: Most concussions occur through head-to-head collisions, so penalise anything close to shoulder height and you will force the teams to adapt their tackling technique. Possible side benefit: reduces the ball-and-all tackle, which leads to more offloads, which reduces ruck count and more flowing rugby. (In theory, thus the reason to trial it in actual competition.)

 

50:22: This forces the teams to have their wings sitting further back to cover potential kicks as the risk is too high to have the ball clear your head and roll out. Thus less players in the defensive line, thus the guys around the ruck need to spread out, which results in more gaps, which a ball carrier could exploit by running at the gap instead of at the man, hopefully reducing injury risk. Again, positive side effect could be more open play progress. (Again, just theory)

 

Goal line drop-out: This could in theory also change the mindset of the attackers to rather swing the ball out wide than risk a drop-out when they pick-and-go around the ruck

 

Probably not to reduce injuries, but bring some fairness:

Yellow-to-Red: The on-field officials can now quickly hand-out a yellow, even if they think it could be red, thus reducing time wasting while they deliberate about the fine technicalities of the incident and whether that shoulder did indeed touch his nose in the tackle etc... In my mind we could see less straight-reds because of this, with refs erring to the side of caution with only the worst offences then upgraded to full red by the TV ref.

 

Infringement limit: Little strange one to wrap your head around, but it probably just tries to put a number to what we already see in practice where different referees have different tolerance limits in the red zone when a defending team keeps on giving away penalties to prevent the try to be scored.

 

 

Look, some of these won't work and will be canned, but good on them for trialing these laws with the focus on player wellfare.

[Stretch]

Please explain the kicking one to me... If you kick the ball into touch in their 22 from inside your half by fist landing in field and then going out.. You throw in?? (Same from inside 22 to their half)

 

This puts way to much emphasis on having a skilled flyhalf. A skilled kicker with a dominant lineout will kill.

 

They also getting rid of the 5yrd scrum when the ball is held up? That's insane

[Vetplant]

Please explain the kicking one to me... If you kick the ball into touch in their 22 from inside your half by fist landing in field and then going out.. You throw in?? (Same from inside 22 to their half)

 

This puts way to much emphasis on having a skilled flyhalf. A skilled kicker with a dominant lineout will kill.

 

They also getting rid of the 5yrd scrum when the ball is held up? That's insane

Yep, hectic change. You would need to drop your wings back when in defence to counter the threat of the kick, theoretically opening up gaps for more running rugby. 

 

You do get the ball back when held up- just from a kick-in. Wonder what the details thereof would be, would the kick need to clear the 22...? 

[Shebeen]

Yep, hectic change. You would need to drop your wings back when in defence to counter the threat of the kick, theoretically opening up gaps for more running rugby. 

 

 

this is for SUPER RUGBY?! it's a massive change, and I'm not sure if it is going to open up the game or just end up promoting lots of kicking - and reliance on good bounces of the ball

 

check this scenario out: defending team in red get lineout on their own 10m.

 

they win lineout and the ball goes to the flyhalf inside his 22. 

currently the percentage play is to kick it into touch somewhere between opponents 22 and half, but you give them posession at the next lineout.

 

instead now you have options as a kicking flyhalf, depending on where the defenders are standing

 

a)grubber into open side and just get it into their half, you keep possession and move forward 10m..

b)long kick over either wing (the one where the fullback is not covering) (blue oval) (you now have a very attacking lineout)

c)short run and chip kick behind backline. (blue hexagon)

 

now imagine this in reverse, blue team is throwing in lose the lineout. fullback will be in the backline, flyhalf will boot it down field hoping for a good bounce.

 

 

 

this oke has just had his sellby date adjusted

http://praag.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/morne_steyn.jpg

Edited January 14, 2020 by Shebeen

[Frosty]

While some of the rules are weird, I think change is good as it brings a different mindset into the tactics used.

[Stretch]

Rugby, meet your new friend American football....

 

Grubber... Lineout... Grubber... Lineout.... Grubber... Lineout... Touchdown!!!...errr I mean try

[gemmerbal]