NRL rule changes: Experts predict shocking injury increase
An NRL coach and one of the most respected injury experts in the game have questioned the NRL’s mooted dead rubber rule changes, fearing they could cripple the competition.
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Coaches believe the NRL is in danger of making the game too fast, with the latest rule changes prompting fresh concerns about the already skyrocketing injury rates in the game.
A series of rule changes announced this week - including allowing referees to give a six-again for off-side, only permitting “designated forwards” to pack into scrums and eliminating scrums all together when the ball enters touch - will be trialled in two matches this weekend as the league attempts to once again increase the speed of play and reduce stoppages.
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But Todd Payten, whose Warriors side will face Manly on Sunday under the new rules, believes the league could be in danger of overreaching in it’s need for speed.
“I think the product at the moment is going really well. I think we’ve got 12 extra minutes per game on average since they brought the new rules in,” Payten said.
“You can see the effect it has on teams with injuries, the fact we haven’t had a bye, it all contributes.
“But do we need to speed it up anymore? I’m not too sure. I think we need to be careful on how we approach that moving forward.”
Payten’s concerns may well be justified.
The COVID-19 lay-off, a lack of high performance stuff at various clubs and the elimination of bye rounds have resulted in injury rates skyrocketing across the league.
But the increased speed of the game following the six-again rule, introduced with just two weeks’ notice, is just as big a contributor to the NRL’s bulging casualty ward.
“Muscle strains are more common under fatigue, guys get in positions they wouldn’t get into when they’re fresh, which can lead to increased contact injuries,” said Brien Seeney of NRL Physio.
“I think a big factor in the fatigue side of things is how little notice the teams have to prepare for it the first time around.
“It was a two, two-and-a-half week period - trying to prepare in such a short time would have been really tough to deal with from an injury prevention perspective.
“It’s all about trying to find the balance between performance and fatigue.”
That same lack of preparation could torpedo the NRL’s experiment this weekend.
Brisbane and North Queensland will play the first match under the new rules on Thursday night - given they were only confirmed two days before, the Broncos only had one session to acclimatise while the Cowboys won’t have any given they’d already held their captain’s run.
“It’s not ideal, getting them dropped on us this late. Nobody has had a real chance to implement them at training,” said interim Broncos coach Peter Gentle.
“The scrum defence is one, with the backs being out of the scrum it’s one we had to look at this morning.
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“The other ones are pretty much going to be led by the referees.
“I think it’ll be referee-led tomorrow night, they’re not drastic changes and they won’t be an excuse on our part if the result doesn’t go our way.”
Gentle’s North Queensland counterpart, Josh Hannay, agreed the impact this week could be negligible compared to the more radical changes introduced earlier this year.
“In our meeting today it was discussed, we discussed strategies of how to defend it when the opposition has the ball and how we’re going to possibly use it when we have the ball,” Hannay said.
“I said to the playing group it shouldn’t impact our preparation or planning or how we want to play at all.
“Cosmetically, it might give the game a slightly different look but in terms of having a huge impact on how the game is played, or the result, I think it’ll be negligible.
“I’d be surprised if it’s as dramatic as the original change. That was a significant change, not only to the fabric of the game but because of how late the change came in and the lack of preparation, so I think it caught a lot of clubs and players on the hop.
“The players are still adapting, but they’ve started to adapt to the six again rule and the fatigue it’s brought into a game.”
Even the full impact of the six-again rule might not be fully understood until 2021.
While teams have adjusted to the brave new world as the season has gone on, having a full off-season to change training methods could slightly reduce the impact of the game’s increased pace.
“With the professionalism and the sports science in the game today, teams will plan for changes. They’ll find ways to counter fatigue and new rules,” Seeney said.
“The medical staff and performance staff will have an entire off-season to put plans in place to have guys ready to play this style of game - they’ve kind of had to do it on the run this season.
“Next year you’ll have teams that have time to acclimatise to those changes - the radical shift in pace we’ve seen this year could knock back a little next year because teams might be more aerobically fit, they might have more endurance because they need it for the way the game has become.”
NRL TRIAL: THE CONTROVERSIAL RULE CHANGES
- Michael Carayannis
The eradication of scrums is inching ever closer with the NRL revamping the way players pack down and some scrums scrapped as part of wholesale rule changes to be experimented with this weekend.
Experimental rules including the use of six again for 10 metre infringements, handovers for kicks into touch rather than a scrum, backs banned from packing in scrums and changes to the bunker will happen in two matches without finals ramifications – Brisbane and North Queensland on Thursday and Warriors and Manly on Sunday.
The changes include:
Scrums
Only players nominated as forwards on the team sheet can pack in scrums. Interchange players can only pack in scrums if they have replaced a forward. If the referee detects a non-nominated player packing down they will delay the feeding of the scrum and instruct the team to alternate positions. The scrum clock will continue to run and if time expires a full penalty – not a differential – will be blown.
Scrums will be replaced by a play the ball 10 metres in from touch if the ball is kicked into touch or a player is taken over the sideline. The only exception will be a 40/20 or 20/40 where a tap restart will continue to take place.
Offside restart
The referee will restart the tackle count with a six again signal instead of blowing a penalty for inside the 10 infringements. A full penalty will be awarded for professional fouls, repeated infringements and where play has broken down. Professional fouls or repeated infringements will result in an automatic sin bin. If a team in possession deliberately breaks down play to receive a full penalty the referee will order a scrum with the opposition receiving the feed.
Bunker change
NRL boss Andrew Abdo said these trial rules should bring more “entertaining and free flowing” matches.
“We are a sports entertainment business,” Abdo said. “It is important to continuously test innovative ideas, aimed at a better fan experience. This weekend is a great opportunity to test the practical application of some of the refinements which have been raised during the year.
“It is clear the current process around scrums and the bunker could potentially be better. We are also looking at ways in which we can reduce stoppages without compromising the accuracy of the bunker.”
Meanwhile, touch judge Phil Henderson has been recalled after being dumped for his clanger in failing to refer Jaxson Paulo’s try to the bunker after the South Sydney winger slid into touch while scoring. Henderson was originally named to patrol the sidelines for the Roosters and Sharks clash on Saturday night but was dumped. He will return for the Sharks and Raiders match.
Originally published as NRL rule changes: Experts predict shocking injury increase