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New scoring system may be just the fix!
It would appear the IRB have done little to appease the rugby public by only accepting a small portion of the ELVs, arguably to favour the boring northern hemisphere style of rugby. We have seen in a number of tests now the outcome whereby teams will play for field position, cause their opponents to infringe and kick a goal. Until the test in Perth, the Springboks had adopted such a strategy very successfully. This has won numerous games but done nothing for the long suffering public’s attitude towards such tactics. Rugby must be a game that inspires and excites. Who could forget the epic All Black vs. Wallaby test in Sydney where Jona Lomu broke the Wallaby supporter's hearts, but everyone left with the feeling that they had possibly witnessed the greatest rugby match ever, in front of a world record crowd!
We need to get back to matches such as these. Why is it that a roar goes up from the crowd when a team elects to kick for touch rather than for points? It is simply because they want to witness a contest and see running rugby...a team who backs itself to score 7 rather than 3 points. Often fortune will favour the brave.
To make this more a reality, I have a simple proposal. A try should remain 5 points but a conversion from a try becomes 3 points. The points for a penalty are reduced to 2 along with the field goal. I believe this will have a significant effect on a team’s decision making and will place the priority on running rugby with ball in hand. Now the puritans will tell me that the infringement area will increase significantly. This is where the use of the ‘sin bin’ will once again reduce these indiscretions and the flow will return. A team scoring more tries than its opponent should win a rugby match.
I would be interested to hear your views on such a proposal. You may contact me at laws@rugbyinc.com.au