Could Refs Please Demand Proper Tackles?

[Kinoulton]

Well I know that any move by so much as an inch towards rugby league is met with horror, but surely we should look up and learn.

The most unedifying part of rugby union, and I depsise it, is the antics of the team in the lead towards the end of a game who find themselves in possession.

It's horrible.

Some lump gets the ball, deliberately dives into the opposing lumps, and everyone piles on top. When the ball eventually comes out of the so-called ruck, another lump picks it up, deliberately dives into some other lumps and it all starts again until they've wasted enough time.

It's not rugby.
It's not sport.
It's not entertaining.

At the very least, the RU could create a law that says that you can go through as many phases as you like as long as you are trying to do something, but after three phases of absolutely nothing happening, you lose the ball.

[Bill W (2)]

New Law not required Kinny.

If the lump picking up the ball runs or dives into a lump of his own team he is offside.

[old one eye]

many years ago RL had a problem with the "stick it up your jumper brigade" when one side could keep the ball for whole periods of the game with no intension of doing anything but running down the time.then they introduced the six tackle rule and it changed the game totally. maybe a simple rule that the ball must pass through two pairs of hands after three negative dives would do the trick.

[Sherpa2]

I can see the point that Kinny is making, but isn't it a skill in itself to be able to retain the ball in such a manner without committing an offense under the existing laws?

How often do you see this tactic backfire with a knock on or as Bill says, an offside offense? I would hazard a guess that it is more often than not and hence my observation.

[Bill W (2)]

Under the previous laws this could be dealt with by committing enough players at a ruck to drive the support off, and if you had gone to ground you were effectively out of the game etc. You had to risk the number of players to doi it, part of the chess of rugby. Under the no-ruck laws you are stuffed.

Ahem. Under the current laws this can also be done.

And those diving onto the ground or the tackled player to prevent it are infringing the laws.

The problem is not the laws but the referees refusal to apply them!

[Jay C]

We used to see quite a few pen offences for "flopping" on top of your colleague and /or sealing off, but more and more this seems (esp the former) to be being allowed by refs - have I missed something or is it all in my head ?

Getting the second persons to arrive to stay on their feet should invite competition for the ball at the breakdown, but as Kinny points out, the players do seem to have found it easier to retain possession this way of late .......

[WhitecapTiger]

IIRC the Tigers match this happened in was the 32-32 draw with Ospreys in the HEC last season. Billy Twelvetrees went over to score a try and Mike Phillips went in with the knee once he'd already crossed the line. Billy converted his own try and then kicked the resulting penalty from the halfway line restart. Can't remember if Phillips was carded though.