PHILIPE NAUGHTON, Sydney | Monday 12.00pm.
THE major southern hemisphere nations called for a series of rule changes on Monday to return the spectacle to rugby union, including the use of video referees to rule on contentious tries.
The changes were drafted at a two-day meeting of coaches, referees, players and team chiefs from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand — known collectively as Sanzar.
If the International Rugby Board gives the go-ahead at a meeting in Sydney next weekend, video referees could be tried out during next season’s Super 12 and Tri-Nations competitions.
Other rule changes include allowing number eights to play the ball immediately if it is at their feet when a scrum collapses, and only allowing players to join rucks and mauls from their own side of play.
Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill also said the moves were an attempt to put more spark into the game after what many thought was a boring World Cup dominated by defence.
”I think we’re disappointed that the World Cup was not the spectacle in many cases that it might have been – a lot of penalties. The ball wasn’t played as long as it might have been,” O’Neill told a news conference.
”This continuous battle between defence and offence isn’t unusual in sport. But the defence ends up dominating, therefore you have to look to rule changes to get some equilibrium back in it,” he said.
A lot of the post World Cup criticism was levelled against the southern hemisphere nations — against Australia for their watertight defence and against South Africa for their reliance on goal-kicking.
South African Rugby Football Union chief executive Rian Oberholzer said the World Cup should not be used as a yardstick because its competitive nature meant teams became extra defensive.
”If the game is not exciting, it will not grow, not in Australia, not in South Africa, not in New Zealand — and not in the world. If you really want to make it a world game, it needs to be a bit more of a spectacle,” he said. — Reuters