Former international referee Jaco Peyper has cast doubt on the efficacy of the newly introduced Super Rugby Pacific law trials aimed at speeding up the game. Announced recently, these rules include transforming certain scrum offenses into free-kicks and allowing quicker tap penalties. However, Peyper alongside Springboks assistant coach Felix Jones, suggests these changes might actually slow the game down.
During the Rassie+ podcast, Jones expressed his concern about the alterations and their impact on the game's dynamics. "I’m aware that Super Rugby is trialing some laws...but there’s a nervousness about this. There are some fundamental changes here," Jones remarked. He fears that reducing the number of scrums might not address the real issues but rather obscure them. "I get it from the idea of wanting to have action, but I’m not sure we should be changing the fundamentals of what is one of the pure contests of rugby," he added.
"The intention here is to keep the game dynamic,"
Peyper explained. However, he pointed out that in his experience, "if you give a free-kick to the team that’s not in possession, it slows down the game because there needs to be a transfer between this team and that team. They’re probably going to wait to organize their team and kick an up and under."
Peyper also highlighted that previous attempts to use free-kicks to speed up play often backfired. "I’ve given a lot of free-kicks in my life, and I stopped giving free-kicks at some point because I didn’t get the reward for that unless a certain team’s in possession," he shared. This suggests that without the ball, teams may not be able to maintain the intended quick pace of the game.
Both Peyper and Jones advocate for a focus on improving the skills of referees rather than altering the laws of the game. Peyper argued that the top referees typically have fewer resets in scrums, indicating that upskilling officials could be more effective. "If you take a snapshot of just the best five referees in the world, what are their stats? I believe their stats would look different because they’re better skilled, more experienced," he concluded, suggesting that enhancing referee training could yield better results than rule changes.
This ongoing debate within the rugby community reflects the challenges and complexities of modifying a sport deeply rooted in tradition and strategy. The outcomes of these law trials in Super Rugby Pacific will be closely monitored to see if they achieve their intended effect or if they indeed slow down the beloved game.
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Former international referee Jaco Peyper has cast doubt on the efficacy of the newly introduced Super Rugby Pacific law trials aimed at speeding up the game. Announced recently, these rules include transforming certain scrum offenses into free-kicks and allowing quicker tap penalties. However, Peyper alongside Springboks assistant coach Felix Jones, suggests these changes might actually slow the game down.
During the Rassie+ podcast, Jones expressed his concern about the alterations and their impact on the game's dynamics. "I’m aware that Super Rugby is trialing some laws...but there’s a nervousness about this. There are some fundamental changes here," Jones remarked. He fears that reducing the number of scrums might not address the real issues but rather obscure them. "I get it from the idea of wanting to have action, but I’m not sure we should be changing the fundamentals of what is one of the pure contests of rugby," he added.
"The intention here is to keep the game dynamic,"
Peyper explained. However, he pointed out that in his experience, "if you give a free-kick to the team that’s not in possession, it slows down the game because there needs to be a transfer between this team and that team. They’re probably going to wait to organize their team and kick an up and under."Peyper also highlighted that previous attempts to use free-kicks to speed up play often backfired. "I’ve given a lot of free-kicks in my life, and I stopped giving free-kicks at some point because I didn’t get the reward for that unless a certain team’s in possession," he shared. This suggests that without the ball, teams may not be able to maintain the intended quick pace of the game.
Both Peyper and Jones advocate for a focus on improving the skills of referees rather than altering the laws of the game. Peyper argued that the top referees typically have fewer resets in scrums, indicating that upskilling officials could be more effective. "If you take a snapshot of just the best five referees in the world, what are their stats? I believe their stats would look different because they’re better skilled, more experienced," he concluded, suggesting that enhancing referee training could yield better results than rule changes.
This ongoing debate within the rugby community reflects the challenges and complexities of modifying a sport deeply rooted in tradition and strategy. The outcomes of these law trials in Super Rugby Pacific will be closely monitored to see if they achieve their intended effect or if they indeed slow down the beloved game.