We have just seen the Boks and the ABs go into the last few minutes leading….but lose that lead in the last minute. They tried two different tactics….the Boks launched an up and under.. .the ABs tried to phase play the game to a finish, when they were losing breakdowns time and again.
The new rules provide a third option. The 50/22. When Lomp blew the Jantjies kickoff by tapping it back before it reached the 10m line, the ABs could have immediately gone for the 50/22 from the ensuing scrum( I’m assuming they would be ruled as getting possession in their own half). And if the kick failed the Boks would still have gotten possession in their 22.
This strikes me as a much better option than the shorter box kick or phase play that was under pressure. Would we have done this in their shoes with Frans who seemed to be the one player alert to the new opportunity? I like to think so.
