![rugby scrum rugby scrum](https://a.espncdn.com/photo/2019/0807/r580620_1296x729_16-9.jpg)
This was never the intention, but it is the result.Īlmost all the games played in the Autumn Nations Cup have been tediously repetitive because rugby’s overly complicated laws are a “dog’s body” of technical infringements that force referees to blow stoppages every few seconds. Bits and pieces of stitched-together compromised laws which have altered rugby into a defensive bash fest with scrums, penalties and mauls. Now, under the law of unintended consequences, they have created a Frankenstein. For more than a decade the governing body has tinkered and manipulated many of the laws. The responsibility for the current state of affairs sits firmly in the lap of World Rugby’s lawmakers. The current laws are empowering defenders and weakening attackers. In this generation, there are so few moments of beautiful attacking inspirational play because there is no time and space for the attack to work in. I was throwing rolled up socks at the TV, it was so frustrating.
#RUGBY SCRUM SERIES#
Reset after reset followed and that series of scrums was still going as the clock was about to turn red at the 80-minute mark.Īdded to this is the endless stoppages for the referee to talk to captains, TMOs, assistant referees, big screens and front rowers who have never and will never listen to anything a referee says. In last week’s Test between Argentina and New Zealand, a scrum was awarded to New Zealand in the 75th minute. Scrums continue to steal disproportionately huge chunks of the precious minutes in every match as they each take up to three minutes to set. This style of rugby that we are witnessing is exceptionally boring.
![rugby scrum rugby scrum](http://www.agilebuddha.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/scrum-rugby-9.jpg)
Against Italy, on every single instance that the Italians kicked to Stuart Hogg who is a brilliant attacking fullback, he kicked the ball straight back. Perhaps the black was to display mourning for the performance at Twickenham when the Irish players ran into English tacklers over 200 times. Last week’s dire match between Ireland and Georgia was only surpassed by the horror of the black Irish jersey. Over the past few weeks greats of the game, such as former Scottish captain Andy Nichol, the brilliant Welsh wizard Jonathan Davies and former England captain Will Carling, have joined a worldwide chorus of former players and rugby luminaries in lamenting the state of how the game is being played.
![rugby scrum rugby scrum](http://www.storytrender.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/17_CATERS_rugby_knocks_post_over_012.jpg)
That is: to get the ball in your hand and run. Rugby is slowly being poisoned by a litany of antiquated and complex laws that have stripped the game of its core belief. Like the rest of humanity, all is not well in the rugby world.