If you could change ONE rule tonight what would it be?

[SixteenSixtySix]

Just for laughs and for one match only. I would remove the forward pass rule. Just anarchy...anarchy every where.

knock-on and offside rule too. It'll be like american football

 

[Rich Taff]

Ban the 'choke' tackle. Anywhere else on the pitch it's a high tackle.

 

[lucky number 7]

Ban the 'choke' tackle. Anywhere else on the pitch it's a high tackle.

What? As in Hit stick and tie up the ball?

 

[j'nuh]

It comes up quite a lot: when a player is in an offside position and the opposition drop a loose (backwards) ball, and the player goes to pick up the loose ball, I don't think it should be a penalty. It's far too harsh on what's mainly an instinctual reaction.

Make it a free kick, or a penalty if done deliberately.

 

[dullonien]

It comes up quite a lot: when a player is in an offside position and the opposition drop a loose (backwards) ball, and the player goes to pick up the loose ball, I don't think it should be a penalty. It's far too harsh on what's mainly an instinctual reaction.

Make it a free kick, or a penalty if done deliberately.

That's what the law is already I believe. The ref can either deem it accidental (free kick) or deliberate (penalty).

Too many ref's simply award the penalty though imo. Even when two players go up to compete for a high ball, and the ball comes off a players shoulder, ref's seem all too prepared to award a penalty for deliberate offside when a player in front picks it up. Very difficult for the offending player to accurately see who the ball came off.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Change the points scoring system so that an unconverted try is worth the same as two penalties and penalties, drop goals and conversions are worth the same.

Try = 4 points
Conversion/Drop Goal/Penalty = 2 points

It's close to the Rugby League scoring system but drop goals are worth more. There's always the law of unintended consequences to think about which could see teams becoming more cynical to stop tries but it seems to work well in the 13 man code.

 

[Rhyer]

Change the points scoring system so that an unconverted try is worth the same as two penalties and penalties, drop goals and conversions are worth the same.

Try = 4 points
Conversion/Drop Goal/Penalty = 2 points

It's close to the Rugby League scoring system but drop goals are worth more. There's always the law of unintended consequences to think about which could see teams becoming more cynical to stop tries but it seems to work well in the 13 man code.

I reckon if a penalty is in the 22m region it should be 3 but outside of that it should be 2 points. Keep tries as they are. Maybe?

But something definitely needs to change. You shouldn't go out with the intent of winning by penalties. Notice when teams actually want to scrummage properly like Argentina/South Africa there are very few penalties given at scrum time. Their intent is to scrum not to use the scrum to win penalties like Wales/Ireland/England.

 

[Ospreylian]

Make it a free kick, or a penalty if done deliberately.

One of the bigger problems in the game though imo, is the referee's interpretation over whether or not something was done deliberately or with malice. In the heat of the moment, and even with the TMO, it's sometimes difficult to tell what a players' intentions were. Tip tackles are a good example of this, because I believe they are something that could be easily done by accident, i.e. if an attacking player was running with such momentum into a larger defender so as to flip themselves over and make the tackle seem worse.

Not really something that could be easily solved, I guess.

 

[jonny24]

All the talk of scrum rules has me wondering. Is there a history of the rule changes that have occurred? I first learned how to scrum with Crouch Touch Pause Engage, the Crouch touch Set, and now Crouch Bind Set. What was before that?

I agree that something needs to change at the scrum. It seems to me that it's more likely for a scrum to end with a penalty than for a team to actually get live ball Watching high-level rugby, that is. At the level I play at nearly every score is divisible by 5 because no one can kick for shiite.

 

[RoosTah]

I'd like to see penalties and drop goals reduced to 2 points. This would give all kicks equal value, and also further incentivise try scoring.

In addition, I think scrum penalties need serious review. The current system allows for far too much ambiguity and too often you see teams milking penalties at the scrum. The referee should award only short-arm penalties for anything other than blatant collapses.

Lastly, I'd love to see a 40-20 style rule in Union, but personally I think it should be a 22-22 rule; if you can kick the ball from your 22 so that it lands in the opposition 22 and goes out, then you get the line out. I only say this because I have a feeling that a 40-20 rule would be too easy for a lot of union giving the greater focus on tactical kicking.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

All the talk of scrum rules has me wondering. Is there a history of the rule changes that have occurred? I first learned how to scrum with Crouch Touch Pause Engage, the Crouch touch Set, and now Crouch Bind Set. What was before that?

I agree that something needs to change at the scrum. It seems to me that it's more likely for a scrum to end with a penalty than for a team to actually get live ball Watching high-level rugby, that is. At the level I play at nearly every score is divisible by 5 because no one can kick for shiite.

pretty sure it was "engage" then it evolved into "crouch and hold, engage" before becoming "crouch touch pause engage"