Banning the "caterpillar ruck" and introducing 20-minute red cards to Tests, among other things, will improve game significantly, argues Patrick McKendry.
If rugby could give itself and its spectators and viewers one gift this Christmas it would be this: Ban the caterpillar ruck and associated box kick – a tedious eyesore of a contrivance unloved by (almost) all.
At this point it should be acknowledged that many of those who watched October’s World Cup final at the Stade de France might also wish for changes to the television match official “bunker” system, a platform for professional busybodies to kill a game’s momentum and undermine the referee’s authority, but while ‘tis the season for jolly optimism, that one may be asking for a little too much.
Caterpillar rucks – the term by which players extend a ruck, often in single file, to give their halfback more time and space to kick the ball high into the air when they have run out of attacking ideas – could easily be disposed of, however.
Make it illegal. Speed up the game. Encourage unpredictability. There is already too much kicking in men’s international rugby. Banning the caterpillar pest would be an easy and welcome fix.
Another possibility is banning attacking players from contesting high kicks. Yes, that goes against rugby’s core tenet of being a constant battle for possession, but it would limit the blight of box kicking and force teams to seek attacking space in other, far more imaginative, ways.
It would also limit the possibility of mid-air collisions, and, given the current crackdown on foul play and head injuries, that would be a win-win and timely, too. Beauden Barrett’s horrific fall after a dangerous challenge by Springbok Kurt-Lee Arendse in Nelspruit in 2022 will remain seared in many memories.
Linked to that, World Rugby’s fear of litigation over brain damage means the bunker system is likely here to stay, despite the concerns of some officials and its contribution to the stop-start nature of the World Cup final won 12-11 by South Africa.
Tom Foley, the TMO during the final, has quit the game after receiving what he described as a “torrent of abuse and criticism online”.
There is no litigating for idiots but had World Rugby, who trialled the system during the Under-20 championship and World Cup warm-up matches, thought a little harder about introducing it at the World Cup, the abuse suffered by Foley may not have been as bad.
One of the biggest decisions made by Foley, who recommended a red card for skipper Sam Cane, was ruling out Aaron Smith’s try after a knock-on in a lineout during its build-up. However, while the decision was correct, Foley went beyond his two-phase jurisdiction in making it.
English Luke Pearce told the Times the bunker system was “rushed through”, and French referee Mathieu Raynal was similarly critical.
“I think it was probably a mistake to put the bunker in at the last moment just before the World Cup without practising it and using it more,” Raynal told the Telegraph.
Two final requests: Firstly, do something about penalty advantages. The inconsistency in how long referees allow an advantage to play out is maddening – some will allow it for several phases and a 35m gain before stopping play and whistling a penalty, while others are far quicker on the whistle.
And secondly, for the love of all things fair in this season of giving, introduce the 20-minute red card replacement rule into Tests. For virtually everyone apart from South African supporters, Cane’s red ruined the World Cup final.
The Southern Hemisphere nations have asked for years to introduce the rule into Tests, only for some Northern Hemisphere hold-outs to block it on the grounds that the sanction is required for deliberate foul play which hasn’t been seen in the top level for years.
Neither Cane nor springboks skipper Siya Kolisi had time to react before making high tackles in the final and yet Cane was the only one to see red. Cane was let down by the game and the system and his shock afterwards was palpable.
Keep the permanent red for the worst acts of foul play – punching, biting, kicking and so on. I can almost guarantee that in these days of professionalism and constant on-pitch scrutiny it would show up as often as snow at a Kiwi Christmas.
Otherwise, get someone else on after 20 minutes.
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