Rugby‘s move to kill off the caterpillar

The meeting of Rugby Australia’s director of rugby Scott Johnson with leading coaches resolved to further reduce the influence of time-wasting scrums — and kill off the ‘caterpillar’.

Super Rugby coaches are concerned about time-wasting at scrum time

The virtual meeting of Rugby Australia’s director of rugby Scott Johnson with leading coaches and players did not reach a conclusion on the introduction of a DRS-style captain’s challenge in Super Rugby AU on Thursday but it did further reduce the influence of time-wasting scrums on the game — and kill off the ‘caterpillar’.

It is not surprising that the meeting required more time to sort out whether rugby captain’s should have the right to challenge a decision as in cricket. Where the DRS in cricket can be used to establish whether there was a faint edge through to the wicketkeeper or the ball pitched outside leg stump, the situations in rugby are far more fluid.

Indeed, it is possible that a captain’s challenge – which will be used in New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa this season – could actually follow a non-decision by a referee.

So while all concerned are working out whether, for example, a referee’s ruling to “play on” in the face of an apparent knock-on should be legitimate grounds for a captain’s challenge, The meeting did address the vexed issue of the controversial caterpillar ruck. This contrived form of ruck-building entails players binding single file on a teammate to eventually produce an elongated conga line stretching as far 10m. The defending side is compelled to remain behind the last boot in the ruck until the ball has been cleared, so that means the attacking halfback can box kick with impunity, with no defender getting anywhere near him. The practice has become a scourge of the northern hemisphere game, with the Exeter Chiefs and Racing 92 the prime culprits. Indeed, Recently retired Test referee Nigel Owens earned himself rave reviews back in September when he gave Racing five seconds to use the ball and, when they continued to build their caterpillar, awarded a scrum feed to Saracens.

The Australian coaches, however, want the referees to go even further and voted to send to World Rugby a request that any side which goes beyond the five-second limit to clear the ball will be hit with a free kick.

The coaches also took the same view in the case of a side kicking out on the full from a restart on halfway. In this instance, there is no nefarious purpose in drop-kicking out on the full. It is something that happens entirely by accident but again the meeting resolved that the side receiving the ball would receive a free kick on halfway.

The normal solution is a scrum on halfway but that almost invariably led to a reset and possibly another because both teams are acutely aware that a centrefield scrum provides a huge variety of ways in which to attack.

It was significant that the solution of the coaches and players to both the caterpillar rucking and the errant dropout was to ditch the mandated solution of a scrum and instead go directly to a free kick or tap penalty.

In both instances, it would eliminate time-wasting that has become an element of virtually every set piece in the modern game.