NRC law proposals - have your say

http://j.mp/1nb6WFJ

these are the options offered:

1. Instead of 4 try bonus point, winning team is awarded a bonus point for finishing 3 or more tries ahead of their opponents
2. Reduced time limits for conversions and penalty kick attempts
3. After a successful or unsuccessful penalty goal attempt, play is restarted with a scrum to the non-kicking team at the place of the penalty
4. Time limit for both teams to form a scrum
5. No option to kick for goal from a scrum penalty (kick to touch allowed). If penalty becomes a ‘repeated infringement’ then kick at goal is allowed.
6. Scrum-half of non-feeding team is compulsory, must stay within 1m of the scrum, and cannot move past the mid-line of the scrum
7. If a yellow card is given for repeated team infringement (excluding dangerous play), the non-offending captain chooses the opposition player who is temporarily suspended for 10 mins
8. Players arriving through the gate may ‘drive out’ opponents past the ruck, creating more space behind the ruck for attack
9. If non-throwing team does not contest for the ball, the straightness of the throw is not considered
10. A ‘mark’ can be awarded any place on the field
11. After half-time and full-time, if awarded a Penalty Kick, you can kick to touch and play the lineout
12. Free Kick for kick-off infringements as per Sevens

I like the idea that the 9 can't cross the mid-line of the scrum. The rest of the Rugby probably wouldn't. I'm 100% against ANY rule changes that are not official trials promoted by the IRB and which are also being trialled elsewhere, such as the NPC or Currie Cup. The idea of the NRC is to blood Super Rugby players.It's not there to try to invent some new "faster" game to compete with RL and AFL for uncommitted supporters.

I am not in favour of:

"10. A ‘mark’ can be awarded any place on the field"

as this will increase kicking in the game and make it more like AFL.

Im only comfortable with the bonus point scenario. I dont want rugby to change! thats what AFL does every year, changes the rules, and its one of the key elements I fucking hate about that game.

7. If a yellow card is given for repeated team infringement (excluding dangerous play), the non-offending captain chooses the opposition player who is temporarily suspended for 10 mins
8. Players arriving through the gate may ‘drive out’ opponents past the ruck, creating more space behind the ruck for attack
10. A ‘mark’ can be awarded any place on the field

These are quite stupid really - 7 allows you to pick anyone.. what a load of tosh... 8 will just create a NFL style blocking scenario with three players cleaning out meters past the ruck and 10... as mentioned already - this is not AFL.

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Originally Posted by Kept One

I am not in favour of:

"10. A ‘mark’ can be awarded any place on the field"

as this will increase kicking in the game and make it more like AFL.

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I'd argue the opposite - it would force players to think more carefully about kick placement rather than just kicking aimlessly down field. I'd like to see it trialled, personally.

I like the scrum after a missed penalty. Everything else - not so much

I have a problem with 3, 7 & 9.

3. Why should the just-penalised team get to feed a scrum?
7. I think the ref should be doing the choosing.
9. Should always be straight regardless, although technically the word they should be using is 'perpendicular'.

10. Little unsure of this one, but agree with beige's point.

1, 6 and 11 I do like. All the others not mentioned are meh to me.

My two cents:

1. Fine - competition rules can be changed - it doesn't change the nature of the rugby itself, but would this lead to more running rugby or less? A bonus point after 3 tries and more after 6, 9, 12, etc, might result in blow-outs, but would be a way of promoting running rugby.
2. I'd prefer the ref to actually police the existing time limits (60 seconds, isn't it?) rather than a reduced time, per se, but anything whch prevents time-wasting and increases the amount the ball is in play is good.
3. I'd say if the kick is succesful, go to a re-start, but if the kick is unsuccessful (penalty kick or drop goal) it goes back to a scrum as with any kick which goes dead. Might stop 60 metre kicks being attempted!
4. As with 2, if it increases the time the ball is in play, all to the good. Actually, I'd say that you can form the 1st scrum as normal, but if it collapses or gets re-set the clock is stopped and only re-started once the scrum-half puts the ball into the new scrum.
5. Fine. Should reduce the number of kicks at goal.
6. Should be the rule now, as far as I'm concerned - how does the scrum-half get to come off-side when no-one else does? Also, the ref and assistants should police the flankers detaching early better.
7. Absolutely not. Ref's decision who to penalise - but if it's a repeated team infringement the ref should penalise the captain rather than the player who gets caught that time.
8. How far can you drive out? As pitythefool says, you risk NFL style blocking which is anathema to rugby.
9. No. Throws to be straight, regardless. It's not a hard skill to learn and not-straight is an unfair advantage.
10. I can see the pros and cons of this, and it may be a benefit to trial it, but overall I'd say keep the rules as close as possible to normal rugby. Don't change for change's sake.
11. OK, as long as the side with the kick has the option to kick to touch and tell the ref that they don't want the line-out (ie, if they are ahead and just want the game to finish).
12. Hmm, trying to make the game like sevens doesn't necessarily make it a better game - again, don't change it for change's sake.

From my point of view:

1. Instead of 4 try bonus point, winning team is awarded a bonus point for finishing 3 or more tries ahead of their opponents.
I rubbished this at first glance, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. Think about it, team A needs a bonus point win to go through, they score three tries, but opposition claw one back, they now have to score another to reclaim the bonus point. I can see it working.

2. Reduced time limits for conversions and penalty kick attempts.
make them Drop Goals and this would do this. Just making the ref reasons to complain, if it's your team he's harsh, if the other team he's soft. I want changes to affect the players, not the refs.

3. After a successful or unsuccessful penalty goal attempt, play is restarted with a scrum to the non-kicking team at the place of the penalty. I agree, means giving away a PK for goal doesn't remove the pressure in your own half.

4. Time limit for both teams to form a scrum. What happens if you take too long, this to me is same as 2.

5. No option to kick for goal from a scrum penalty (kick to touch allowed). If penalty becomes a ‘repeated infringement’ then kick at goal is allowed. So the team will just choose another scrum to force a repeated infringement.

6. Scrum-half of non-feeding team is compulsory, must stay within 1m of the scrum, and cannot move past the mid-line of the scrum
Absolutely Not!!! The one excellence about Rugby is that every phase is a contest for the ball, including the hook at a scrum, and then the skill to get it out the back. Don't stop the contests!

7. If a yellow card is given for repeated team infringement (excluding dangerous play), the non-offending captain chooses the opposition player who is temporarily suspended for 10 mins. stupid!

8. Players arriving through the gate may ‘drive out’ opponents past the ruck, creating more space behind the ruck for attack. How far? Can a player with the ball follow them, or does this become obstruction? Daft.

9. If non-throwing team does not contest for the ball, the straightness of the throw is not considered We already apply this to all but the worst of throws, it's called material effect

10. A ‘mark’ can be awarded any place on the field no.

11. After half-time and full-time, if awarded a Penalty Kick, you can kick to touch and play the line out. It is for scrum, so why not for line out, sensible change IMHO.

12. Free Kick for kick-off infringements as per Sevens Why not, will speed the game up, works for me.

material effect?Is this a law in the game?

I reckon the bonus points situation on the table is a good idea.

My suggestion would be to stop the clock whenever a scrum is called. This doesn't mean I would only restart it at the engagement, I would restart it once all the forwards are in the same area and get in formation, to stop piss-farting around and time-wasting in the set-up. If the clock is ticking down and it collapses, I would THEN stop the clock and only restart it when the ball's ready to be cleared, so the litany of re-sets are added to stoppage time.*** This might end up with the ref having to do even more, but that's why I think it's time for more than one ref on the field. I think it's worth stopping the clock in general if time-wasting is occurring, but more significantly towards the end of a match. I would extend the clock-stoppage idea to the period of time when a team in the lead receives a penalty or free-kick option and they then decide it's going to be a congress meeting before they decide what to do. I also hate when the clock ticks down while the place-kicker is waiting for a tee or a sand bucket.

I don't think this should be a rule in the NRC though, I don't like to change rules that aren't going to taken up internationally.

***NB - I think scrums should have no "hit" on the engagement, then must settle and be straight and steady with no pushing, before the scrum-half puts the ball in anyway, so it probably make this idea redundant.

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Originally Posted by brokendown gunfighter

material effect?Is this a law in the game?

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Not a law, it's a guide.

It's to try and ensure that 30+ People plus those who have come to watch have a game and not just listen to my whistle.

Nothing in law says I should tell an offside winger to stop, or to chat to players on the run to prevent other possible issues getting worse, but we do to try and keep the game flowing.

With the not straight at a lineout, providing it's a one off, if the defence were not jumping they had already planned to lose it and defend a different way, so why not just continue with that plan.

I don't expect you to all understand or agree with this, but trust me, if we blew for every single little offence, you'd be complaining that we are too harsh.

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Originally Posted by Pitythefool

7.

These are quite stupid really - 7 allows you to pick anyone.. what a load of tosh... 8 will just create a NFL style blocking scenario with three players cleaning out meters past the ruck and 10... as mentioned already - this is not AFL.

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They've only just started penalising "clearing out players in front of the ball", some obviously are not happy, and want the rule changing.
As for shepherding/blocking they might as well make it legal as it is rife - refs don't stop it, so we might as well allow it.
Who spends their day thinking up these things?

They really should have started penalising that 11 years ago