Blood & Mud

Graham Henry opens up the great kicking debate again, we have our say

New Zealand coach and seven-time winner of the title of Most Miserable Man In The World, Graham Henry, has come out with his usual face like a chewed toffee to tell us all that there is too much kicking in international rugby.  As coincidence would have it, he seems to have a problem with this after his team had their arses handed to them by South Africa, who are having some success with Morne Steyn's right leg at present. He does however offer a solution:

"Maybe if you had a mark every time the ball was kicked in the air, no matter where it was on the pitch, and you could have a scrum back or a free-kick from that mark it may make the game a bit more entertaining."

I can see his thinking here, and it is certainly not a crime to think about rule changes.  A lot of the fans who criticise changes in the rules often give themselves (and their rank stupidity) away by saying things like "If you want to mess with the game then go and play league!".  But, proper debate about facets of the game that are affecting it as an entertaining offering is perfectly sensible.

The kicking game reached its highest boredom-inducing dominance during the 2007 World Cup, with every team in the semi-finals booting the ball up into the ozone and hoping the bloke underneath it was Iain Balshawesque in his composure.  I would argue that this tactic is being used less since then, but it is still a fundamental problem in that it is an easy way to gain territory without much craft - all you need is a big boot and some fast, aggressive chasers. 

The drop-goal is another issue.  The drop is basically an anachronism, a relic of a time when kicking was the most important way of scoring points. Remember, trys were named such because touching down earned you a "try" at kicking for the posts - indeed, for years a try earned you 1 point and the conversion 4.  Francois Steyn whamming the ball from anywhere on the pitch in an attempt to score three points is not entertainment for anyone but himself, and a situation where four drops can earn your nearly as much as two converted tries is surely a ridiculous one, especially given how simple drops are for most decent kickers.

So what is the answer?  Well, I would ask for your suggestions in the comments. But I would advance three rule changes.

1.  Drop-goals to be worth 1 point.  This would have the effect of making the drop a genuine, last gasp way of either winning a game or taking your score just out of reach. Thus it would still have a vital role in the game, but Frans would not be having pop-shots from everywhere for such small reward early on.

2.  All kicks that roll in-goal are treated as if they have gone dead.  This would put an end to speculative, pointess, lazy punting.

3.  Defender catching an up-and-under is given benefit at immediately following ruck.  This would not negate the chip-and-chase, but would stop the practise of simply booming the ball high and waiting for a mistake, meaning that poor teams would be exposed for what they are.  For example, would England have got to the 2007 WC Final if this rule had been in place?

I await your disagreement...

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Graham Henry opens up the great kicking debate again, we have our say

New Zealand coach and seven-time winner of the title of Most Miserable Man In The World, Graham Henry, has come out with his usual face like a chewed toffee to tell us all that there is too much kicking in international rugby.  As coincidence would have it, he seems to have a problem with this after his team had their arses handed to them by South Africa, who are having some success with Morne Steyn's right leg at present. He does however offer a solution:

"Maybe if you had a mark every time the ball was kicked in the air, no matter where it was on the pitch, and you could have a scrum back or a free-kick from that mark it may make the game a bit more entertaining."

I can see his thinking here, and it is certainly not a crime to think about rule changes.  A lot of the fans who criticise changes in the rules often give themselves (and their rank stupidity) away by saying things like "If you want to mess with the game then go and play league!".  But, proper debate about facets of the game that are affecting it as an entertaining offering is perfectly sensible.