If you could change the laws of rugby, what would you change?

[Eyes and Ears]

I believe that the Law makers will be reluctant to make significant changes like that which are not as easily implemented at the community level of the game. If you decide to implement only at the professional level, then there is a danger that the games diverge too far.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

If an average game has ball in play time of 35 minutes, it follows that stopping the clock when the ball isn't in play would more than double the length of time it takes to play a match.

An average game takes about 1 hour 45 minutes now? So you'd be looking at 3 and a half hours or more if you stopped the clock every time the ball wasn't in play.

I would like to see the clock stopped or the amount of clock time used reduced for shots at goal (unsure whether that would just be conversions or penalties as well) and the clock stopped for scrum resets. Those to me are the two most frustrating periods of time lost in the game.

I'd just put the focus back on the referees to improve the speed of the game. Most of the laws are already in place they just aren't policed (eg shots at goal, use it or lose it). If one team is delaying at scrum/lineout time go with a short arm penalty first offence long arm second.

 

[Dctarget]

I would love them to actually enforce the use it or lose it rule.

 

[Braveheart81]

I'd just put the focus back on the referees to improve the speed of the game. Most of the laws are already in place they just aren't policed (eg shots at goal, use it or lose it). If one team is delaying at scrum/lineout time go with a short arm penalty first offence long arm second.

Goal kicks already have a time limit. It's more the guaranteed 60-90 seconds of game time lost because of it that I want changed (particularly as this is traditionally the biggest gripe people have with rugby).

It's not a team delaying forming a scrum that I'm worried about. It's the amount of time a reset takes which gets compounded in the final minutes of games because referees are less keen to call a penalty and a free kick generally results in another scrum being packed. A scrum with two resets might take close to 4 minutes to get through. Stopping the clock after calling the first reset would at least get 2+ minutes of that time back.

 

[Lindommer]

Shots at goal are currently limited to 60 seconds AFTER THE TEE ARRIVES. The tee can take all day to get to the kicker, without any timer, if a ref doesn't hurry things up. I'd like to see the clock stop for 45 seconds after a try's scored or a penalty's awarded and if the kick isn't taken, bad luck. Make that 30 seconds if there's any sort of stoppage.

The time taken for scrums in the modern game's far too long. If Lee Grant was still around he'd remind us how quickly scrums were set back in the good old days. The same with injury/water breaks late in the game, the ref should get the support staff off the paddock if a player doesn't require an ambulance.

 

[Derpus]

I believe that the Law makers will be reluctant to make significant changes like that which are not as easily implemented at the community level of the game. If you decide to implement only at the professional level, then there is a danger that the games diverge too far.

I believe stop watches have been invented. You can even wear them on your wrist.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Not so sure on that. If it were 4 hours then you are talking NFL format with plenty of time not playing and intermitent bursts. I doubt we'd end up there.

We are however talking about actually 80 mins playing time.

Wales oz game went for 1 hour 58 minutes and 23 seconds (just checked on Kayo). If you take out ball out of play time, you double that.

 

[Braveheart81]

Shots at goal are currently limited to 60 seconds AFTER THE TEE ARRIVES. The tee can take all day to get to the kicker, without any timer, if a ref doesn't hurry things up. I'd like to see the clock stop for 45 seconds after a try's scored or a penalty's awarded and if the kick isn't taken, bad luck. Make that 30 seconds if there's any sort of stoppage.

They changed the laws regarding shots at goal. You have 90 seconds from the time a try is awarded for a conversion (law 8.8d) and 60 seconds from the time a team has indicated they want a shot at goal for a penalty kick (law 8.21). Whether or not those are reliably enforced is another question.

 

[Derpus]

I would love them to actually enforce the use it or lose it rule.

Yeah I hate how they just let it sit at the back to see if the
maul might gain traction again. As if defending maul wasn't already completely impossible (although this swimming around the sides business seems to have caught on).

 

[Dctarget]

These are more rule clarifications I have, but what's the rule on taking out the 9? When can a 9 ruck and when are they protected? and can anyone play this "9" role and be protected? Is it just if they go to pass the ball you have to let them do it..

Also, I really really really don't see the point of penalising props/scrums for being dominated. It's such a bizarre part of the game, if you are illegally stopping your opposition scrum getting scrum dominance then sure, be penalised, go to the bin. But if you're on roller skates already heading backwards at a rate of knots, why be penalised just because you're shit.

Imagine if you get penalised everytime you got bumped off in the tackle and on the third, you got carded.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Goal kicks already have a time limit. It's more the guaranteed 60-90 seconds of game time lost because of it that I want changed (particularly as this is traditionally the biggest gripe people have with rugby).

It's not a team delaying forming a scrum that I'm worried about. It's the amount of time a reset takes which gets compounded in the final minutes of games because referees are less keen to call a penalty and a free kick generally results in another scrum being packed. A scrum with two resets might take close to 4 minutes to get through. Stopping the clock after calling the first reset would at least get 2+ minutes of that time back.

My main concern with stopping the clock is that players would take an opportunity to have a breather as the time is off. They form slower and it would further ruin the flow of the match.

Injured player law needs to be policed more stringently too (stop the game for 1min if they cant continue they need to go off).

 

[Shaker]

Clock stops until the ball is placed in the scrum. Sick of the goddamn time wasting resets.

 

[Derpus]

Clock stops until the ball is placed in the scrum. Sick of the goddamn time wasting resets.

Time ticking away while these lazy fat bastards get a massage and a drink.

 

[Braveheart81]

My main concern with stopping the clock is that players would take an opportunity to have a breather as the time is off. They form slower and it would further ruin the flow of the match.

Injured player law needs to be policed more stringently too (stop the game for 1min if they cant continue they need to go off).

To clarify, I am only talking about for a scrum reset after the initial one fails. In that situation I don't see things changing much from the status quo in terms of how long it takes for that re-pack to happen. Largely the referee drives that tempo anyway.

The injury issue is vexed. You can't really have referees deciding whether a player is injured or just trying to slow things down. There's a real challenge trying to balance player welfare and ensuring that players who really need treatment aren't being prevented from receiving it because they will have to leave the field or play will continue without them with maintaining the integrity of the game ensuring there isn't blatant time wasting etc.

 

[Shaker]

Time ticking away while these lazy fat bastards get a massage and a drink.

Was about 3-4 minutes lost against the Welsh last week. Its too easy to time waste in that situation.

 

[Scoey]

I get the shits with the time wasting away at the end of a match my team is chasing (i.e. AUSvWAL on the weekend), but geez I love seeing a knock on up the other end of the field when there's only a couple of minutes to go and my team is defending a slim lead. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[Eyes and Ears]

I believe stop watches have been invented. You can even wear them on your wrist.

Well that is only 1 element of the issue and it is much harder than you think to referee a game and start and stop your watch 50-100 times a match.

The other more significant issue is that most clubs and schools run to a very tight schedule eg games on the hour and this would create much more variation in finishing times.

At the professional level, this is also an issue for the scheduling and broadcasting of back to back matches.

 

[Braveheart81]

Well that is only 1 element of the issue and it is much harder than you think to referee a game and start and stop your watch 50-100 times a match.

The other more significant issue is that most clubs and schools run to a very tight schedule eg games on the hour and this would create much more variation in finishing times.

At the professional level, this is also an issue for the scheduling and broadcasting of back to back matches.

My suggestion is only stopping time for scrum resets and shots at goal so it would only be 10-15 times more in most matches. Scrum resets would be the main one though because I think it is detrimental to the game as opposed to just a perception thing (that casual fans complain about rugby just being penalty goals).

You can definitely have different rules for juniors as they already have (do they still not stop the clock for an injury?).

I agree that you would need to allow more time between matches because any additional clock stopping adds time to the game but it would also be pretty predictable.

 

[Eyes and Ears]

I understand but I would be loathe to add more tasks to a referee at scrum time particularly while they are trying to manage scrum issues such as resets. My understanding of adult and schools rugby is that the only game that gets time off at all is the 1st XV game at the end of the day. I would think most schools and clubs would have no interest in finding extra time between games. Ultimately I think game times would be shortened at all levels to accommodate for this and I wonder how different it would actually be in the end. The worst case would be that the stoppages just take longer.

 

[Derpus]

Maybe it's time we got a second referee. One to manage scrum timing and the offside lines