O
ozbash
Guest
this comes from a kiwi journo (marty devlin) who is neither for or against either code. i think he likes soccer !
When, oh when, is rugby finally going to rid itself of the scourge that is this constant "forcing back"?
We've just seen 2 Tri-Nations Tests riddled with mindless punting downfield as players, devoid of any other ideas, indulge in rugby's version of kick-and-hope.
And don't you hate watching it? Twenty-eight highly skilled athletes standing still while 2 full-backs play aerial combat-ball for 1/2 a dozen kicks apiece.
It is completely aimless. Pointless. I get it and bang it downfield. You catch it and bang it back. I catch it and kick it over there. You chase it and boot it back here. Why?
The reason is simply because there is nothing else they can do. You can't kick it out because it gives the other team lineout possession. So the only option is to keep the ball in play.
In the Springbok/All Black test there were 60 of those kicks (Believe it or not but it came up on the stats). That's one every 80 seconds.
Man it sucks. Forcing back is killing the continuity of the game.
However, I have a plan to fix it. Steal Rugby League's 40/20 rule. Heck, they do it with everything else (interchange, defensive coaching, star players) why not go the whole hog? Plus, it's a brilliant rule and one that will reintroduce wiper's kicks back into rugby.
The way it works... If you're inside your 40 metre line and you kick it out (not on the full) inside their 22, you get the lineout throw. You not only retain possession but gain a heap of territory to boot (and literally).
It is a kick that requires precision and skill one that not everyone is capable of, in fact, in each team there's probably only one or two players who could.
Years of practice is needed to perfect this kick. Even in league, the whole NRL I'm talking about, there's only a handful of players skilled enough to successfully execute the 40/20.
But at least if rugby adopted it (read steal) then it would end this awful blight of big lumbering forwards getting the ball in centre field and punting it skyward - only because there are so few other options available.
Outside your 22?? PUNT IT. What else can you do?
Coach says don't kick it out, so they punt it up field. For goodness sake, bring in the 40/20 rule. And fast. Let's rid the game of this dreadful, turgid "forcing back".
Rugby is meant to be about ball in hand, not pointless up-and-unders. Get ball and do something with it - not endless punts wasting valuable minutes. Bring back the wiper's kick and you will rid it in one.
'Tis a simple tune-up. And if you also agree that a slight recondition of the rugby engine is needed... if an oil change is being thought of... I have just the 40/20 required.
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When, oh when, is rugby finally going to rid itself of the scourge that is this constant "forcing back"?
We've just seen 2 Tri-Nations Tests riddled with mindless punting downfield as players, devoid of any other ideas, indulge in rugby's version of kick-and-hope.
And don't you hate watching it? Twenty-eight highly skilled athletes standing still while 2 full-backs play aerial combat-ball for 1/2 a dozen kicks apiece.
It is completely aimless. Pointless. I get it and bang it downfield. You catch it and bang it back. I catch it and kick it over there. You chase it and boot it back here. Why?
The reason is simply because there is nothing else they can do. You can't kick it out because it gives the other team lineout possession. So the only option is to keep the ball in play.
In the Springbok/All Black test there were 60 of those kicks (Believe it or not but it came up on the stats). That's one every 80 seconds.
Man it sucks. Forcing back is killing the continuity of the game.
However, I have a plan to fix it. Steal Rugby League's 40/20 rule. Heck, they do it with everything else (interchange, defensive coaching, star players) why not go the whole hog? Plus, it's a brilliant rule and one that will reintroduce wiper's kicks back into rugby.
The way it works... If you're inside your 40 metre line and you kick it out (not on the full) inside their 22, you get the lineout throw. You not only retain possession but gain a heap of territory to boot (and literally).
It is a kick that requires precision and skill one that not everyone is capable of, in fact, in each team there's probably only one or two players who could.
Years of practice is needed to perfect this kick. Even in league, the whole NRL I'm talking about, there's only a handful of players skilled enough to successfully execute the 40/20.
But at least if rugby adopted it (read steal) then it would end this awful blight of big lumbering forwards getting the ball in centre field and punting it skyward - only because there are so few other options available.
Outside your 22?? PUNT IT. What else can you do?
Coach says don't kick it out, so they punt it up field. For goodness sake, bring in the 40/20 rule. And fast. Let's rid the game of this dreadful, turgid "forcing back".
Rugby is meant to be about ball in hand, not pointless up-and-unders. Get ball and do something with it - not endless punts wasting valuable minutes. Bring back the wiper's kick and you will rid it in one.
'Tis a simple tune-up. And if you also agree that a slight recondition of the rugby engine is needed... if an oil change is being thought of... I have just the 40/20 required.
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