Third Bugler
Juniors
- Messages
- 17
My rule changes would be get rid of dominant and surrender tackles. Let the refs call get off him and play it. Would allow for much faster play the balls which leads to better spectacle games.
Q: Why is it that refs need to distinguish between lawful tackles?
A: To allow tacklers in a 'dominant' tackle to lawfully slow down the play-the-ball (PTB).
Q: Why is it important for defender to wish to slow down the PTB?
A: For the same reason defenders flop, wrestle, grab legs, and come in four-strong when two or three could certainly execute an effective tackle.
Q: So what is this reason?
A: The defending team needs to retire 10 metres for the PTB. The attacking team do not.
Q: Was it always so?
A: It was not. Despite several changes in the distances teams must retire in respect of the PTB, both teams had to retire the same distance until relatively recently.
Q: What was the PTB like when both teams had to retire the same distance?
A: Quick. An attempt by a defender to deliberately slow the PTB was not usually tolerated.
Q: But did defenders keep trying it on in the hope the ref would tire of blowing penalties?
A: Rarely. There was not a lot of incentive to try to slow the PTB at every tackle in any case, because attacking sides could and did get penalised for players not retiring the necessary distance.
Q: What rule change might this point to?
A: Whaddya reckon....