Ok so "Reply with Quote" isn't working for me, it just tries forever and never gets there.
Sifplay:
"Go watch rugby league or Sevens then"
No. the reason fifteen a side rugby is better than sevens or league isn't because it is littered with penalty goal kicks. It's not because of the randomness this provides (yes I realise that randomness is one of the biggest reasons why football is the world's most popular sport, but I believe the randomness provided by penalty goal kicks is a worse kind of randomness, in that footballs randomness can be prevented as a great team playing a crap team will almost never randomly lose, nor even randomly fail to score many goals, nor even randomly let goals in.
Yet in rugby, due to the nature of the rules and the fact that both players and refs are human, the random element of penalties will always remain no matter how good the refs and players get at abiding by the rules because they are constrained by human limitations. Thus, consigning ourselves to this we must realise that the disincentive a penalty kick at goal provides is insufficient, and we must do as much as we can to prevent the randomness affecting teh final outcome.
I believe my suggestion helps in this way. I believe the disincentive remains but the effect of the randomness is lessened) it's because of the fact that different styles of play can compete against each other, the fact that there is a lot of strategy, the fact that teams build momentum (by going through the phases, drawing opposition into the rucks and mixing up their attack/phases until the opposition's defense is disorganised and holes appear or an overlap is achieved) thereby providing increasing tension and excitement for the spectator, the fact that a range of body types all have their place, the fact that a range of playing styles (across different player positions) all have their place, teh fact is is a great team game, and the fact that so much comes down to the attitudes of the players. And it's also not because watching penalty kicks is more exciting than the rest of the game. It isn't.
So, if you still don't agree with me, I would be fascinated to know why you think the current form of the game is a better game.
Apologies for teh lack of paragraphs in the previous post. Most functions in this forum aren't working for me at the moment so i will edit it once the forum allows me to do so.
DasnDanger said:
Biggest drawback is that without that possible 3-point penalty for infringement hanging over their heads, there will be more infringements. It's just a given - 3 points vs. a couple-minute send-off? I've seen tries scored when the attacking team is down a man, so white-carding a guy and sending him off for what may only be a matter of seconds won't be nearly as effective as the threat of a penalty kick. Games have been won on those 3 points, so I do think [most] players are keenly aware of just how important it is not to be a total jerkoff in front of their posts. das
Thanks for a serious response. Now, first of all, I don't believe there will be more infringements. I believe a large chunk of infringements at the moment, from a players perspective, are accidental; either completely accidental - in that the ref made a wrong call or the player forgot the law, or partially accidental - in that the player for instance tried to go through the gate but just missed, the player kinda tried to keep his feet, the player kinda tried to bind at a ruck, the player kinda tried to roll away, etc. Lots of points are being awarded and games won or lost due to completely accidental infringements. My suggestion rectifies this problem.
Now you are obviously concerned that these partially accidental penalties will rise, as players become more careless, and/or that deliberate infringements will rise. And there is already a law in place for deliberate infringements. It is called a yellow card. If the partially accidental infringements rise this just means that they are moving toward the deliberate end of the spectrum, risking yellow cards. So they can't rise too much, and if they do the problem is easily rectified by referees being more vigilant with yellow cards. In fact, players are already pushing the limit of deliberateness in their partially accidental penalties, teh limit being that threshold where they get a yellow card. Thus a rise in the degree of deliberateness in a given infringement is unlikely. The main concern is whether the volume of these partially accidental penalties will rise.
Well a White Card is still a big disincentive, as defending with 14 men is much harder, and it is not as though the defending team can continue to offend, as playing with 13 men is much harder, yet alone 12.Also, look at it this way. What does the ability to kick a goal prove? Very little, just that some guy in your team can kick goals. Big whoop. At least with the white card rule the team will only get points if they deserve it - if they can score a try. What I like about rugby is that it is a team game. what I don't like is that sometimes it is akin to:1. every 5 minutes flip a coin2. if your team wins the coin toss your goal kicker gets a shot at goal you therefore win and lose based on two things:1. luck of the coin toss2. having the superior goalkicker. stuff the rest of the team, and stuff teamwork.
