Rule changes in my province are going to severely harm the game.

[GoTheNaki]

Hey guys, I don't have any documentation yet, however, I have quite a few "A team" players in my flat.

They have come home and there has been a mass discussion about things that are going to change.

Breakdowns are not going to be the same. When you tackle someone, you can do the regular, play for the ball, HOWEVER. When an opposing player gets to the breakdown and the ref calls a ruck, the defending player HAS to let go INSTANTLY. It doesn't matter if you've got the ball off the ground and almost off the player, as soon as his team mate arrives, you cannot do anything.

Even tackles are changing... If you tackle someone and he's classed as "going forward" you have to then release them, and come back around from the front to make a play at the ball. So... You will have to come "onside" even with no-one there. If you knock them backwards, from my understanding, things stay the same.

There is also some "distancing" that's going to happen too... Like, you have to be a metre from the ruck before you can join it. But apparently.... You can enter from the side, there is no longer a "gate" to enter through.

This province is also looking at a points structure which is based on the distance in which you've run from on the field. More points from running an uninterrupted play from inside your own 22 etc.

This isn't a minor province in NZ.. This is Taranaki, and this could very well ruin the game I love.... I hope these don't make it out to the rest of the country. I hope this is a joke...

 

[nickdnz]

Hey guys, I don't have any documentation yet, however, I have quite a few "A team" players in my flat.

They have come home and there has been a mass discussion about things that are going to change.

Breakdowns are not going to be the same. When you tackle someone, you can do the regular, play for the ball, HOWEVER. When an opposing player gets to the breakdown and the ref calls a ruck, the defending player HAS to let go INSTANTLY. It doesn't matter if you've got the ball off the ground and almost off the player, as soon as his team mate arrives, you cannot do anything.

Even tackles are changing... If you tackle someone and he's classed as "going forward" you have to then release them, and come back around from the front to make a play at the ball. So... You will have to come "onside" even with no-one there. If you knock them backwards, from my understanding, things stay the same.

There is also some "distancing" that's going to happen too... Like, you have to be a metre from the ruck before you can join it. But apparently.... You can enter from the side, there is no longer a "gate" to enter through.

This province is also looking at a points structure which is based on the distance in which you've run from on the field. More points from running an uninterrupted play from inside your own 22 etc.

This isn't a minor province in NZ.. This is Taranaki, and this could very well ruin the game I love.... I hope these don't make it out to the rest of the country. I hope this is a joke...

Jetstar now flies to you guys and everything....

Joking aside, yeah those rules sound terrible. I heard a point system based on where in the field you are is also being implemented in South Africa. I'm out of the Wellington club scene at the moment (playing in Germany) - but I think I would have heard something if it was being also trialed in Wellington. Sounds pretty ****ty man.

 

[McTallshort]

Well as we cannot seem to produce a decent jackel in this country I welcome these changes!

 

[Car]

What's the point of all that?

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Sounds truly awful

 

[Tony Manx]

Who decided to trial the new rules?

 

[die_mole]

http://www.allblacks.com/News/28618/new-laws-to-be-trialled-across-domestic-competitions

 

[Tony Manx]

Sorry for being stupid but who/what is "World Rugby"?

 

[nickdnz]

Sorry for being stupid but who/what is "World Rugby"?

The re-branded IRB.

 

[GoTheNaki]

http://www.allblacks.com/News/28618/new-laws-to-be-trialled-across-domestic-competitions

There it is folks...

I don't like it.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Rule changes and trials of innovative ideas are happening everywhere in rugby nowadays. It's good and bad.

Good in that it shows the administrators what can work and what won't work at all. It's bad in that it could have a negative effect on the current rugby loving public and that changes aren't always for the better.

 

[Tony Manx]

The re-branded IRB.

Thx!

 

[wilby48]

Here we go again. The rule makers are making a simple game toooo complicated. It's getting more and more like American football . What RUBBISH. it's time to start watching rugby league, which is like Union, and actually more fun to watch. RIP Union. The law makers will soon be out of a job as no one will want to play it anymore. What a shame.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Why don't they try and sort out the fecking mauls first.

Hate the current laws, it's just stops quick ball when a forward moving drive goes down.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Lets be honest here, a lot of the current laws are either not enforced or enforced very poorly for lack of clarity/understanding simply because of the nature of the beast.

I mean, skew feeds into scrums and line-outs alike but especially the scrums generally are let go. The scrum is an absolute lottery and half the time I can't say I can blame the referees. This new(ish) habit of pods of players or dummy runners in front of the actual player recieving the ball and spreading it wide just looks too much like obstruction to me though I can accept it might just be clever play. I'm not even going to mention anything specific regarding breakdowns its such a mess and every referee seems to have their own ideas on it. And then there is the citing/suspension system which is possibly the most laughably inconsistent of the lot.

Where to start though. Personally I wouldn't change the points system. The maths just work IMO in that 2 penalties/dropped goals are worth more than a try but less than a converted try. It just makes for good television and I think it'd be a mistake to devalue one in relation to the other.

What irks me the most is inconsistencies. Whether its at the breakdown, scrum, general play or off the field thats what gets me worked up as a fan. How to address that I wouldn' know though. As a matter of logic one would think either simplifying the rules or adding to the refereeing structure should help address (percieved?) inconsistencies bt I'm not convinced it would. I think the best course of action is probably to accept Rugby for what it is and learn to take the punches when they come your way but as a passionate fan I just can't help getting riled up when I feel my team is getting the short straw.

 

[lhprop1]

Sounds like a busybody making law changes for the sake of making law changes. Maybe they're over-staffed and need some more work to do.

 

[wilby48]

Referees are told, apparently, at the beginning of the season, to make sure the ball is fed STRAIGHT into each scrum . It happens about %2 . When it is put in properly, the scrims work well. When a player puts up an up and under, he is supposed to follow up his kick to put his team ON side. This is hardly happening in the UK, so teams are put OFF side by their own kicker. AGAIN, the referees do NOTHING. Perhaps the refs should be penalised and yellow carded, then swap with one of the linesmen, who are referees too.! The refs rule the game, but they can ruin it too. Fly half Priestland playing against Ireland, ( sadly. He is rubbish , and cost Wales the game.) , never chased his up and unders ONCE, ! And to attempt a drop kick when his forwards were on top of Ireland near the end of the game, and with plenty of time to win it, was , quite simply , MADNESS. Come on Gatland, sort yourself out. The new young lad at NG Dragons is Fantastic. Pick him if you want Wales to win games. On, Gatland makes me angry !! ( haha ).

 

[wilby48]

That should have read oooo Gatland!