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I've heard this extremely simplistic argument before.
I do watch League on occasions. Thanks for the invite, but i'm already way ahead of you chief.
I just prefer Rugby.
Trying to improve Rugby doesn't turn it into League.
League has no real forward play. Heaven forbid rugby ever turns into that game; where a guy can play stand off one game, then prop the next (ala Feleti Mateo).
But to dismiss that Rugby can be improved is just "head in the sand" type mentality.
Rugby is a business now, and like any business; you are either growing or you're dying.
If the game wants to seriously become a global sport then it needs to look at ways to improve.
Promoting the pursuit of tries above penalty kicks is the first place to start if you want to improve the game for the average spectator.
Do you really think other teams actively pursue the penalty kick above a try? If so then there is little point in discussion. I think in order for rugby to grow and I agree you can't stand still and that there is always room for improvement but like other businesses it is pointless to make knee-jerk reactions and change here, change there all the way to bankruptcy.
Firstly, look at your strengths and seek to develop those. Half of the time the weak spots sort themselves out or become less relevant whereas focusing on the weak points and making sweeping changes often leads a business to lose track of what made it successful in the first place. I speak from a place of experience in this regard because I've had 2 businesses go under before I had success. The job market in SA is a tough place right now especially for whites so I was forced to try start-ups on my own.
There is MUCH much more to creating a spectacle (which is what rugby needs to be to sell if you look at it purely as a business in the sports-entertainment sector) than sweeping tries and there are enough games to prove that point. It is more about the quality of the product and the biggest threat to that at the moment is in my opinion a lack of consistency. Consistency from the governing body and more importantly consistency in how laws are interpreted and implemented consistently on the field. I'd argue that if we sort that out first, we'll see;
-the game become easier to start following for the beginner ,
-get matches with greater integrity which currently puts a lot of 50/50 viewers off the game
-and we'll see teams knowing what exactly is expected of them and thus better continuity in play
-and if the refs actually implemented the breakdown laws correctly we'll see more tries in any case.
Lets be realistic here, tries come from how teams manage the point of contact more so than back play. This is the area that needs the most focus. Teams don't actively go for penalty kicks but take the points on offer more often than not because they are being stifled at the breakdown ilegally more often than not. This is also why many teams opt to kick returns rather than have a go at running it back because of the great risk of losing the turn-over. If teams were more confident that they'd keep posession if they played well enough rather than if the ref did his job well enough we'll see rugby develop into something both 'rugby purists' and the newer market can enjoy. A business shouldn't alienate its core market to potentially lure new clients is all I'm saying and there is enough to work with as is and lets get what we have workng first before making sweeping changes.