England have been criticized for kicking the ball frequently at the World Cup. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
I recently attended the World Rugby Conference in Sydney, which will feature a presentation on our experience of hosting the Rugby World Cup in France. I'm joined by Simon Raiwalui, who recently stepped down as Fiji's coach to take up a post at World Rugby representing second-tier teams.
The event was held to provide an overview of the World Cup for second-tier countries such as Chile, Portugal, Uruguay, Romania and Namibia. It was interesting to see statistics presented from the perspective of successful teams and enlightening to hear about the challenges these teams face during the four-year World Cup cycle and how difficult it is for them to succeed. got up to speed for the tournament.
The review also shed light on what we need to change in the game. We've talked about how defense dominates the game, but the most important thing in the game right now that probably has the biggest impact on performance and results is kicking and kicking strategy.
This includes the number of strokes each side takes, the type of strokes, and the length of the strokes. What has happened is that the middle of the field has become an area in which neither side wants to be turned over, especially if the concession is a break-through penalty, whether it is a player who has not released the ball, is tripped, or is out of play. on the side of cancer.
Taking a penalty in this part of the field can have serious consequences for what happens next and how long it takes you to get the ball back.
1309 Kicks in RWC
At the World Championships in France, the team with the most kicks had approximately an 80 percent winning percentage. This is a terrifying statistic from the point of view of a coach and a player who wants to play rugby and throw the ball when the opportunity arises and take risks.
Instead there is a greater emphasis on territory, the need to be smart when you have the ball and limit the number of turnovers in play, especially in the midfield, which means more territorial kicking.
< p>This statistic returned for Wales during the World Cup. I was glad we topped the table, beating Fiji and Australia along the way, but we had a brilliant chance of reaching the semi-finals, which would have been a fantastic comeback.
However, during our quarter-final defeat to Argentina, it was the only game in which we lost the kicking duel, despite making more line breaks, more carry meters and more passes. Argentina finished the game with more shots and meters than us. Knowing statistics is one thing, but you need to be able to apply them.
Emiliano Boffelli kicked 16 points to help Argentina to dramatic win over Wales with a score of 29-17. Photo: Reuters/Stephanie Lecoq
To solve this problem we need to do something to put the balance back in favor of attack, but with so much pressure on results in international rugby I hope people can understand why kicking has such a huge impact at the moment.
I believe that a number of changes can be made to improve the game for the start of the new World Cup cycle. The first is refereeing. We as a game must do everything we can to support the referee and match officials. Rugby union has always prided itself on showing respect to officials as players, but this needs to be broader than that. We need to make sure that we all take this into account.
The interaction with the TV match official and the bunkering system will also need to be reviewed to decide whether we should continue to do this. I would also like to discuss the issue of using red cards. I liked what they did in Super Rugby, getting a 20 minute red card.
The countries in the northern hemisphere have not accepted it, but I think it needs to be looked at again because we don't want the semi-finals or the final to be decided by cards. These are the moments when the whole world is watching us play and it's a chance to grow the audience and you don't want to ruin the spectacle. I think most people can live with the 20 minute penalty.
Speed up scrimmages
I would also like to make some rule changes that could help improve the game from an attacking point of view. I was thinking about removing the «tag» from the game. I'm not sure there's a need for this anymore. This simply slows the game down and reduces the risk of high balls hitting your opponent 22.
We also need to speed up the contractions. Referees prohibit teams from huddling in front of the lineouts, but what about scrimmage time? I told one of my coaches that we needed to run out there, get ready as quickly as possible and put a little pressure on the referee and the opponents to speed up the fight. Keep an eye on how Wales implement this in the upcoming Six Nations.
These are the kind of quick fixes that can go a long way in making our game more exciting. I would also like to see the 50:22 kicking rule changed so that teams can do it even if the ball goes into their half of the field. This may have the effect of creating more space in the backfield.
Currently, if the team in possession fails just inside their own half, the opposition's three defenders fall back, making it difficult to take a 50:22 shot. But once the team in possession crosses the halfway line, the defensive line tends to level out because the opposition knows that a 50:22 try cannot be attempted if the ball is passed back over the halfway line. Changing this rule will force teams to drop back more often, which can create more attacking opportunities, as well as making it easier to officiate the law.
Encourage teams to be more creative
Defense is also getting better at keeping forwards behind the line to force clearances. their posts, which can lead to the ball being carried to the halfway line. How about a compromise whereby if a team is held over the line they are awarded a five meter scrum or lineout, or better yet a free kick?
We must look for ways to keep the game going and encourage teams to become more innovative and creative.
The last item on my Christmas wish list will be a review of how we use substitutions. The game produces incredibly strong athletes, and when you see teams like South Africa at the World Cup calling a bench with seven forwards and only one back, that means your forwards will only have to play 40 minutes. This was not what it was designed for.
Rugby used to try to tire out a group of forwards so that space would open up in the final 20 minutes and more attacking options would arise. We don't see that at the moment due to the number of replacements and incredible athletes we produce. I think it's time to try to reduce the number of substitutions or even go back to when they were only due to injuries. This decision may only apply to top level rugby or international rugby.
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