Rugby’s ripe for radical reform

It’s not a question of if rugby will undergo a radical change, it’s when.

Waratahs winger Taqele Naiyaravoro steamrolls a Blues opponent. Picture: AAP

Rugby is changing. For now, the game is trying to work out how it is going to change. Can anyone really know what professional rugby will look like in a decade?

The evidence appears to be irrefutable. When the numbers tell you that 47 per cent of all injuries are associated with the tackle, the game would be negligent not to address change.

So change is also being accepted increasingly. It is not a question of should the tackle change but where it will end up.

Already, the RFU in England next season will trial a law in its second-tier competition that lowers the legal tackle height to the underside of the armpit.

Concussion is one modern reality. The other is to be a form of entertainment. And safety and entertainment are not an easy alliance. No one can know where it will end up, but here are some possible outcomes.

THE TACKLE
Maybe it is inevitable that the legal tackle height will come down. However, it can’t go far. The sweet spot for a tackle is between the underside of the shoulder and the hip; that is where injuries are least likely to occur. This is where rugby, as we know it, cannot shift. Maybe, then, other forms of the game will grow and the traditional form of rugby will recede. Touch football, anyone? It is a growing force. Just don’t suggest an end to tackling in school and club rugby. That is where injuries are least prevalent and where correct technique is learnt.

WEIGHT LIMITS
Injuries have risen since the game went professional. Initially players’ weight rose, then weight plateaued and power increased. No doubt, the game is more dangerous. Can we reduce that by introducing a collective weight limit across a team?

One knock-on effect: as professional players have bulked up, schoolboys have watched, learnt and followed suit. High school players look nothing like they did 25 years ago. Their injuries have risen too. It would be more feasible to introduce a weight limit in school teams. Schools could even be competing in different weight categories.

SEPARATE PROS
AND AMATEURS
There is no reason why the amateur game has to follow the professional game so diligently. The pro game is an entertainment form; the amateur game is about sport and participation. The pro game may want to embrace danger, the amateur game does not need to follow suit. The pro game may be still deciding whether to lower the tackle height; the “big hit” is all part of the modern show. If the amateur game had separate jurisdiction, it should think about changing the tackle immediately.

The pro game will surely explore further the concept of rugby and entertainment. World Series Rugby in Perth have been trialling a seven-point try for a move that starts within the scorers’ 22. That sounds fun. You get seven points for a penalty try. That’s just dull.

NO HIGH-BALL CONTEST
The game has tried to manage danger at contested kicks, but are we getting to the stage where no jurisdiction actually works?

In 10 years’ time, will there be no contest at all? Only the receiver can jump for the ball. That would encourage more ball in hand — a plus, maybe, for the entertainment industrialists.

CHANGE THE FIELD
OR THE NUMBERS
In short, players have got bigger and faster and have greater endurance and yet the field size has remained the same. So linebreaks and open space are harder to come by. And everyone likes linebreaks and open space, whichever part of the game you are from.

Two options for the future, then: grow the field or shrink the team. The former is just plain silly. In which case, maybe we will have fewer players on the park. Which sounds like rugby league.

SUBSTITUTION SPACE
OK, less dramatic: let’s just cut the number of substitutes. This does not have to take 10 years, it would make sense if it were rubber-stamped in 10 weeks. Fewer subs means more tired bodies and more space. This is a debate for today, not a glimpse into rugby’s crystal ball.

DO NOTHING,
CHANGE NOTHING
Of course, nothing might happen. No change at all. We carry on. Perfectly feasible. Injuries grow, parents’ fears grow, the numbers decrease. The game is marginalised. And then no one wins.

The Times