New community rugby laws 2023

[Bobbievee]

BBC report on new RFU below the waist tackle laws "

In a week a number of former amateur players have declared legal action against the governing bodies, the RFU have made one of their biggest law changes in history in a bid to protect players and - in a nutshell - try and alter the complexion of the sport; from a contact and collision game, to an evasion one"


Discuss

[Bobbievee]

Coincidentally looking at 1974 Ireland v England highlighrs. Note the rapid formation of scrums and lineout.......And penalties given for crooked feeds!
https://youtu.be/xs1UNUcK2OU

And a whole lot of evasion going on!!

[BR]

So just make the tackle a fairer contest again! Ball carriers will soon opt to avoid it, rather than risk being turned over.

[Soda]

Coincidentally looking at 1974 Ireland v England highlighrs. Note the rapid formation of scrums and lineout.......And penalties given for crooked feeds!
https://youtu.be/xs1UNUcK2OU

And a whole lot of evasion going on!!

Crooked feeds is probably the thing that gets my goat the most*. Hookers actually hooked in my day, these days the scrum half just fires the ball into the second row. Drives me mad

*Well that and box kicking possession away*

Also while I'm on me soap box can anybody explain how boxing gets away with it? A sport where the whole purpose is to give somebody a concussion?

[solidarity]

Coincidentally looking at 1974 Ireland v England highlighrs. Note the rapid formation of scrums and lineout.......And penalties given for crooked feeds!
https://youtu.be/xs1UNUcK2OU

And a whole lot of evasion going on!!

Just a few of the wonderful things about this game:
Chaos as part of the game.
As you say, Bobbie, really quick set pieces.
A player playing on with a shirt being ripped to shreds.
Those shorts
Big numbers on the Irish shirts - hard to miss
A woman in the crowd wearing a headscarf.
Mike Gibson.

The only improvement: kicking tees to stop the turf getting ripped up.

[UlsterNo9]

Also while I'm on me soap box can anybody explain how boxing gets away with it? A sport where the whole purpose is to give somebody a concussion?

Good point, well made. Thought that myself what's the difference. I'm guessing boxers have been signing some kind of waiver for years before getting in the ring but don't know.

The former amateur rugby players trying to sue, I do not agree with either. Nobody forced them to play, it was their choice, the same choice many of us made. This is not a professional scenario with an employer vs employee, it wasn't for a living. We all knew the risks when we stepped onto a rugby pitch, whether consciously or not. Ignorance need not apply.

Should motorcycle racing be banned completely? People are being killed regularly in that sport.

[nonplussed]

Reffing existing laws to improve safety correctly would be a start before bringing in new ones.

[Lurgan Lad]

Frankly anyone who got a concussion or any kind of head trauma, or was involved in a match where a colleague did, and then gets on the pitch again has only themselves to blame.

[justinr73]

What an absolute shambles.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64395234

[big mervyn]

Frankly anyone who got a concussion or any kind of head trauma, or was involved in a match where a colleague did, and then gets on the pitch again has only themselves to blame.

Surely the person who "got a concussion", by definition, is somewhat absolved of personal blame.

[rumncoke]

The game was, in my opinion, originally a game of "I've got the ball --catch me if can " it has transformed into" I have the ball and I'll hit you if you try to take it off me "

ie it has become a game of ,no attempt at hand off charges, by ball carriers who are using forearms shoulders and legs to break attempted tackles high and low . where the ball is held in two hands to retain possession rather than to make passes .

Yes rugby is a contact sport but the contact should be tackler to ball carrier not ball carrier at would be tackler .

The game is now refereed in such away that dangerous contact initiated by a ball carrier goes unpunished and the would be tackler is injured more often than the ball carrier .

It is the tackler who requires protection not the ball carrier who in the days when I played the only thing the ball carrier feared was a straight arm to neck or head .

And the more protection that is given to ball carriers and less provided to tacklers the more dangerous the game has become .

[Lurgan Lad]

Frankly anyone who got a concussion or any kind of head trauma, or was involved in a match where a colleague did, and then gets on the pitch again has only themselves to blame.

Surely the person who "got a concussion", by definition, is somewhat absolved of personal blame.

Not overly sure one concussion would have a huge effect on a person if they looked after themselves, maybe in extreme circumstances it might.

There is a guy in America called Daniel Amen that I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, but he has talked about ways to help the brain recover and improve. I sometimes wonder are professional rugby players encouraged to look into ways to ensure their long term health is as good as possible.

[So It Is]

The game was, in my opinion, originally a game of "I've got the ball --catch me if can " it has transformed into" I have the ball and I'll hit you if you try to take it off me "

ie it has become a game of ,no attempt at hand off charges, by ball carriers who are using forearms shoulders and legs to break attempted tackles high and low . where the ball is held in two hands to retain possession rather than to make passes .

Yes rugby is a contact sport but the contact should be tackler to ball carrier not ball carrier at would be tackler .

The game is now refereed in such away that dangerous contact initiated by a ball carrier goes unpunished and the would be tackler is injured more often than the ball carrier .

It is the tackler who requires protection not the ball carrier who in the days when I played the only thing the ball carrier feared was a straight arm to neck or head .

And the more protection that is given to ball carriers and less provided to tacklers the more dangerous the game has become .

When the players and the commentators talk up winning the "collisions" every single match, in front of an audience of kids that are soaking up the sport the way we all did, that says all that needs to be said.

Collisions FFS. Why are we encouraging them?

[UlsterNo9]

The game was, in my opinion, originally a game of "I've got the ball --catch me if can " it has transformed into" I have the ball and I'll hit you if you try to take it off me "

ie it has become a game of ,no attempt at hand off charges, by ball carriers who are using forearms shoulders and legs to break attempted tackles high and low . where the ball is held in two hands to retain possession rather than to make passes .

Yes rugby is a contact sport but the contact should be tackler to ball carrier not ball carrier at would be tackler .

The game is now refereed in such away that dangerous contact initiated by a ball carrier goes unpunished and the would be tackler is injured more often than the ball carrier .

It is the tackler who requires protection not the ball carrier who in the days when I played the only thing the ball carrier feared was a straight arm to neck or head .

And the more protection that is given to ball carriers and less provided to tacklers the more dangerous the game has become .

Who are you? And what have you done with Rumn?

Great post. First three lines sum it up well.

[jean valjean]

Is there a case for dropping 2 players to create more space on the pitch to allow evasion rather than collision? Before anyone says league, if the same rules applied with rucks, lineouts and mauls then it would still be a good watch but with an greater emphasis on better cardio than strength. Reducing the number of subs allowed is the other option.