Drop Goal

[TRF_heineken]

Drop Goals are part of Springbok history and we have used it to great effect!!

95 World Cup Final = Joel Stransky
99 World Cup vs England = Jannie De Beer 5 Drop Goals.
2008 Super 14 semi final Bulls vs Crusaders = Derick Hougaard

the list goes on, but those were some of the most exciting games i ever watched and the Drop Goal had a very big influence in the outcome.

i don't know why the aussies don't do it as much. the last time i saw an aussie drop goal, it was Stephen Larkham vs South Africa. think it was in a Tri-Nations match to decide who wins the tri-nations or was it in the 2003 World Cup?

 

[Jer1cho]

i don't know why the aussies don't do it as much. the last time i saw an aussie drop goal, it was Stephen Larkham vs South Africa. think it was in a Tri-Nations match to decide who wins the tri-nations or was it in the 2003 World Cup?

Larkham did it to beat us in extra time in the 99 WC Semi-Final.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Larkham did it to beat us in extra time in the 99 WC Semi-Final.

thanks! i was 14 then! lol... long time ago!

 

[Black Heart]

"I was speaking from a marketing perspective."

Are we talking about a sport or a product then? Im not convinced by this argument that tries= exciting game and Drop goals/Penalties = dull game. The most exciting,inspiring and emotional game I have watched in recent times was the 2nd Lions test in SA which was settled on a penalty taken 50 yards out. Did I think at the end "oh what a dull game settled on a kick" or "there should have been more tries" Did I hell! I drowned my sorrows and thanked the gods of rugby that I was able to watch such a fantasic test match. If some spotty suger junkie with a subscription to sky sports doesnt like it and switches over to basketball then so what?

At international level tries are hard to come by and so they should be, drop goals are difficult to excute and very very few players are able to pull them off in a pressure situation like a test match.

The answer to your first question was product, or at least that was my argument. After 7s, the RWC is the best chance the sport has at promoting itself to the world. The short fact is that tries are appealling, especially to those who are new to the sport and appeal sells.

Secondly, please read my post again. Where did I once say that I didn't mind games being won on drop goals?

 

[smartcooky]

I don't think the Dropped Goal needs to be reduced in value, but if it were, then no lower than two, so that it can take you from one point behind to one point in front.

IMO, dropped goals can be discouraged by making them more risky, especially the long range one. It is currently a risk-free scoring attempt, often an admission that the opposition's defence is too good for you to penetrate without taking a risk. You have a 50/50 chance of getting the ball back as well as a gain in territory; the longer the range of the attempt, the greater the gain.

What I would do is change Law 22.8.....

[TEXTAREA]LAW 22.8 BALL KICKED DEAD THROUGH IN-GOAL
If a team kicks the ball through their opponents’ in-goal into touch-in-goal or on or over the dead ball line, except by an unsuccessful kick at goal or attempted dropped goal, the defending team has two choices:
To have a drop-out,
or
To have a scrum at the place where the ball was kicked and they throw in.[/TEXTAREA]

.....removing the bit in red, so taking away the protection afforded to the attempted dropped goal. This would add an element of risk to any dropped goal attempt;

The result would be that if a player attempts a dropped goal and it misses, and the ball goes dead in-goal or touch-in goal, the defending team would have the option of coming back to the place where the kick was taken, for a scrum with their feed. The longer the range of the attempt, the greater the chance you will miss, the more field position you are going to give up.

It would make these 60m plus attempts a much more risky propect.

 

[McTallshort]

The answer to your first question was product, or at least that was my argument. After 7s, the RWC is the best chance the sport has at promoting itself to the world. The short fact is that tries are appealling, especially to those who are new to the sport and appeal sells.

Secondly, please read my post again. Where did I once say that I didn't mind games being won on drop goals?

The answer to your first question was product, or at least that was my argument. After 7s, the RWC is the best chance the sport has at promoting itself to the world. The short fact is that tries are appealling, especially to those who are new to the sport and appeal sells.

Secondly, please read my post again. Where did I once say that I didn't mind games being won on drop goals?

So are you saying we should play rugby to appeal to new people who dont know the sport? Sorry rugby has been around for well over a 100 years and I dont think it has ever been as popular. Soccer is the most popular game in the world and goals are very few and far between with an average of 2 being scored each game at pro level so what makes you think more tries will increase rugbys popularity?

We have 7s for the occasional watchers if they want to see tries like Cricket has 20/20 but I like good defensive play, I enjoy strong scrummaging and aggressive work at the breakdown and hate watching highlights as they only show the tries as you never get a real feel for the game. We should be very careful about calling rugby a product because its a sport and its there first and foremost for the people that play it and we shouldnt tinker with it just on the off chance that some fat bloke sitting in his 3 bed semi in Guildford might decide to watch a rugby test match instead of darts.

 

[Black Heart]

So are you saying we should play rugby to appeal to new people who dont know the sport? Sorry rugby has been around for well over a 100 years and I dont think it has ever been as popular. Soccer is the most popular game in the world and goals are very few and far between with an average of 2 being scored each game at pro level so what makes you think more tries will increase rugbys popularity?

We have 7s for the occasional watchers if they want to see tries like Cricket has 20/20 but I like good defensive play, I enjoy strong scrummaging and aggressive work at the breakdown and hate watching highlights as they only show the tries as you never get a real feel for the game. We should be very careful about calling rugby a product because its a sport and its there first and foremost for the people that play it and we shouldnt tinker with it just on the off chance that some fat bloke sitting in his 3 bed semi in Guildford might decide to watch a rugby test match instead of darts.

Which is why I said I was speaking from a marketing perspective. From a supporters perspective I couldn't care less if teams enjoy kicking drop goals to win games. Do I think 3 point rugby is boring? Of course. But i'm certainly not going to complain if teams decide to play to their strengths to win games.

I do like some of the ideas presented here about making the drop goal more of a risk to take i.e. making a failed drop goal the equivilant of a dead ball for the reasons already stated. For starters it would lead to more accurate kicking and an added dynamic to please general supporters whilst perhaps cutting down on the number of attempts (or at least poor attempts) to force teams to run a bit more which would appease newcomers to the sport.

 

[LittleGuy]

Please don't take moments like these out of the game.