imported_Roopy4246
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Here is an article from fox sport that quotes the outgoing Wallaby coach, Rod Macqueen, as saying Rugby is a rule change away from a 'perfect' game, and saying they need to think 'laterally' about how to handle the 'breakdown' situation.
Does anyone else think it sounds like he is calling for Rugby League style play the balls?
<span>Macqueen: Fix breakdown</span>
<span>From our wire services</span>
<span>15 July 01</span>
<span>News Interactive</span>
<span>FIX the breakdown and rugby would be the greatest game in the world, outgoing Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen said today. </span> <span>Macqueen ended his four-year tenure with the Wallabies after Saturday's 29-23 win over the British and Irish Lions to clinch their first series over the pride of British Isles rugby. Each side in the deciding Test conceded 13 penalties â most of which came at the breakdown, what used to be known as a ruck or maul which has become a point of contention for players and fans alike. Macqueen said finding a definitive way of policing the tackle situation was rugby's ultimate test. "I think rugby at the moment is a terrific game and it's getting better and better but there's one area of the game â the breakdown â that we have to address," Macqueen said. "Maybe we have to think a bit laterally about that. "In the days the laws were made you had rucks and mauls and you had eight forwards from each side running to that area... to expect the referee to make a decision on a ruck and maul in a split second with everything that's going on is impossible. "It's hard for the referees, it's hard for the players and it's hard for the spectators. "When we get that sorted out it'll be a perfect game... the greatest game in the world." The laws governing what can happen at the breakdown have been fluid since rugby went professional in 1995, with the Super 12 and Tri-Nations competitions leading in subtle changes made on an annual basis. The Lions and the Wallabies played two different styles at the breakdown during their engrossing series. Often the Lions resorted to the illegal tactic of using their hands in the ruck because it was the only way they could adapt to the supreme foraging of Australia's outstanding open-side flanker George Smith. It didn't cost the Lions the game, but it didn't win them any admirers among the fans. Lions captain Martin Johnson said it was the single biggest difference between northern and southern hemisphere teams â mainly because the southern hemisphere nations always seem to be at the cutting edge of law changes with their northern counterparts adjusting to the changes. "A few years ago the northern hemisphere players were being slated for competing the ball on the floor at ruck and maul time," Johnson said. "Now it's come full circle â the way we play at home you can't go near a ruck or maul and play the ball on the floor but then you come here and you run into George Smith, who is an excellent player at turning over the ball there â we're just not used to it. "It always seems that the southern hemisphere is one step ahead and it's always us trying to adapt."</span>
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Does anyone else think it sounds like he is calling for Rugby League style play the balls?
<span>Macqueen: Fix breakdown</span>
<span>From our wire services</span>
<span>15 July 01</span>
<span>News Interactive</span>
<span>FIX the breakdown and rugby would be the greatest game in the world, outgoing Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen said today. </span> <span>Macqueen ended his four-year tenure with the Wallabies after Saturday's 29-23 win over the British and Irish Lions to clinch their first series over the pride of British Isles rugby. Each side in the deciding Test conceded 13 penalties â most of which came at the breakdown, what used to be known as a ruck or maul which has become a point of contention for players and fans alike. Macqueen said finding a definitive way of policing the tackle situation was rugby's ultimate test. "I think rugby at the moment is a terrific game and it's getting better and better but there's one area of the game â the breakdown â that we have to address," Macqueen said. "Maybe we have to think a bit laterally about that. "In the days the laws were made you had rucks and mauls and you had eight forwards from each side running to that area... to expect the referee to make a decision on a ruck and maul in a split second with everything that's going on is impossible. "It's hard for the referees, it's hard for the players and it's hard for the spectators. "When we get that sorted out it'll be a perfect game... the greatest game in the world." The laws governing what can happen at the breakdown have been fluid since rugby went professional in 1995, with the Super 12 and Tri-Nations competitions leading in subtle changes made on an annual basis. The Lions and the Wallabies played two different styles at the breakdown during their engrossing series. Often the Lions resorted to the illegal tactic of using their hands in the ruck because it was the only way they could adapt to the supreme foraging of Australia's outstanding open-side flanker George Smith. It didn't cost the Lions the game, but it didn't win them any admirers among the fans. Lions captain Martin Johnson said it was the single biggest difference between northern and southern hemisphere teams â mainly because the southern hemisphere nations always seem to be at the cutting edge of law changes with their northern counterparts adjusting to the changes. "A few years ago the northern hemisphere players were being slated for competing the ball on the floor at ruck and maul time," Johnson said. "Now it's come full circle â the way we play at home you can't go near a ruck or maul and play the ball on the floor but then you come here and you run into George Smith, who is an excellent player at turning over the ball there â we're just not used to it. "It always seems that the southern hemisphere is one step ahead and it's always us trying to adapt."</span>
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