Stop the clock for the dead minutes
Posted by Boertjie - 04/02/10 at 02:02 am under General Discussions, Laws and Technical IssuesLet’s face it, it’s time to stop wasting time, says GREG GROWDEN.
Stop the clock. It’s as simple as that. To lure spectators back to rugby, don’t bore them with endless rewrites of the code’s law book – the most mind-sapping read since James Joyce’s Ulysses.
Forget sermons about how rugby razzle-dazzle is imperative, because coaches, the most paranoid of breeds, soon ignore them. They know another loss, no matter how extravagantly they play, will soon see everyone out to get them.
Instead, guarantee those spectators brave enough to pay top dollar to attend a game that they’ll get value for money by seeing 80 minutes of play, and not countless stoppages.
First, stop the clock when a scrum is called and restart it when the ball is actually fed into it. Also, stop the clock every time a scrum collapses or has to be reset. Why? Because last season some scrums took well over two minutes to be completed. Over and over again. Two wasted minutes.
Stop the clock every time the ball goes over the sideline, and don’t start it again until it is thrown into the lineout. And stop the clock every time a goalkicker starts throwing grass in the air. That’s a real give-up for another go-slow.
Wow, already we’ve saved at least 20 to 25 dead minutes a game.
And suddenly rugby union might become like AFL – a game played in real time, rather than being dramatically cut short because of finicky referees, forwards wanting to mimic ostriches, and hookers suddenly feigning deafness at lineout time.
Also, if administrators are convinced the main reason footballers play the game and people watch it is to savour tries, then why not elevate their importance by providing higher reward?
Try value upped to 6
Why not increase the number of points for a try from five to six, and so end the ridiculous situation where two penalty goals are worth more than one try? Six-point tries might suddenly convince coaches and players that initiative will lead to success.
It is admirable that southern hemisphere administrators have attempted to provide some oxygen to a code that has lost its way, by calling for excitement, encouraging counter-attack instead of endless kicking, attempting to free up the tackle area and working on fixing the scrum.
What infuriates observers most is that rugby does not flow.
Watch football, league and AFL, and they often look seamless. The excitement continues to build, and there are few dead moments.
One long stutter
Watch rugby, and it is one long stutter, punctuated by continual pauses. Flow? Hardly. It is more like constipation.
How can the Tri Nations promote itself as being attractive to spectators when last year there were between 62 to 89 stoppages a game.
An average of 75 stoppages per match, where penalties rather than tries dominated, is not healthy.
This includes collapsed scrums that chewed up 12 to 25 per cent of match time.
It is difficult to change team mindsets, and those under pressure invariably become defensive and inhibited, so officials have to look elsewhere for solutions. Cutting out wasted minutes would be a great start.
There’s bound to be the whinge that players, so used to stoppages to regain their breath, won’t be able to cope with the extra minutes, but as coaches often say: ”It’s time we discover why they actually spend so much time in the gym anyway.”
Thankfully, there is some hope. When the Herald asked Australian Rugby Union boss John O’Neill this week if officials had ever thought of stopping the clock for collapsed scrums, he showed interest.
”I take it on board because it is another way of removing this blight on the game,” O’Neill said.
Let’s hope it goes somewhere, before too many more exasperated rugby spectators head elsewhere for their entertainment fix.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:17 am
Brace yourself for a match
lasting 120 minutes in real
time – like the time the TMO’s
played the one slomo after
the other to make simple
calls.
Took 109 minutes and some of the
calls were wrong too, If memory
serves me well.
February 4th, 2010 at 7:16 am
Reply to Boertjie @ 2:17 am:
Agreed… but let’s be realistic… it hasn’t been 80 min rugby in eons…
February 4th, 2010 at 8:32 am
This guys is watching too much NFL.
Growden, start winning and you will see people pitch up.
Twat.
February 4th, 2010 at 9:11 am
Morne speaks the truth
It is as easy as winning
In 1999 – 2002 Austraia enjoyed a great run in rugby popularity
Why?
Simple
Defending world champions and Tri-Natiosn contenders every year… oh and the Brumbies were the top S10/12 team too…
What about 1991 to 1994
Reds dominated S10 amateur version and the Wallabies were defending world champions…
You see Greg
No amount of belly contemplating about making a game of rugby watchable beats a scoreline that says
Australia 10
Whoever 8
February 4th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Man I love it when somebody believes they are LOGICAL.
then thy don’t see their own blindspots – “bliefs” tend to do that . . . .
Growden’s biggest gripe is the amount of stoppages – RIGHT?
“Instead, guarantee those spectators brave enough to pay top dollar to attend a game that they’ll get value for money by seeing 80 minutes of play, and not countless stoppages.”
and
“Watch rugby, and it is one long stutter, punctuated by continual pauses. Flow? Hardly. It is more like constipation.”
He states 62 to 89 = avg 75 per game – RIGHT?
His “solution” is:
“Let’s face it, it’s time to stop wasting time, says GREG GROWDEN.
Stop the clock. It’s as simple as that. To lure spectators back to rugby”
Is this fooking dumbwit getting paid for wrighting this KAK.
Any person with half a brain – so all in AUS and NZ should then understand – will immediately realise.
“Hey, hang on Greg old mate, Rugby Union is played for 80 min. If we stop the clock for every stoppage as you suggest – scrums and lineouts and kicks for post – then we will LENGTHEN THE FUCKING TIME to, what, 120 minutes?, which equalls MORE FUCKING TIME for stoppages – moron !!! ”
He knows he is talking KAK and like a skelm sneaks in the 6 point trying to cover his ass – if told he is fucking stupid. Fokken doos.
February 4th, 2010 at 9:59 am
For a moment there I thought this chap was ‘affie Kaap’…seriously seemed as though his tik had an ounce or so more of the good stuff.
Ollie, are you around here somewhere?
February 4th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Yeh I dont know what he is moaning about. yes the scrums are a bit annoying. Watched the ESPN game between NZ and Boks in 1981 i think and the scrums hardly ever collapse. You just get these monsters hammering at each other and the ball comes out.
It looks messy but at least the ball is avaiable at the back and play resumes?
February 4th, 2010 at 10:50 am
Reply to Namboer @ 9:59 am:
I’m here, what’s up?
On the topic, at what level do you stop the clock. Imagine the poor club ref trying to keep track of the time if he has to remember to stop/start his stopwatch for every stoppage.
February 4th, 2010 at 11:07 am
Reply to Ollie @ 10:50 am:
Ja, but Ollie the WHOLE ARGUMENT is to have 80 minutes of rugby played and somehow “prevent” – the stop-start nature of the game.
You will ONLY get 120 + minutes of exactly what you have now – “stop start” – does not make any sense !!!
February 4th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Reply to Ollie @ 10:50 am:
And as I soooo succinctly said – “FS FD”
February 4th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Reply to The Brand @ 11:07 am:
No arguments from me in that regard. I think Growden has run out of pre-season topics
February 4th, 2010 at 11:14 am
Jis Ollie,
Was just wondering whether your email was hacked? Or maybe Rasputin’s coz I got a strange/suspicious email this morning announcing a change in someone’s email address.
February 4th, 2010 at 11:22 am
I tell you what.
A good Law change would be – that anybody who “gets injured” have to leave the field of play IMMEDIATELY – and the game GOES ON – and such injured player may ONLY rejoin at next set-piece.
If a player is “seriously injured” the game may be stopped by Referee. The player then have to be removed from the field – be attended by medical staff – and may only return after BOTH team doctors OKed his return at a next SET-PIECE.
If such a seriously injured player needs to be replaced – the replacement may only join play at the next set-piece.
This – fall-down for dead, ala poofball, to received few drops of magic water to resume refreshed IS KAK !!!
ANd if you are toooo unfit to play whole game without injury-drink-breaks – play another sport !!!
February 4th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Reply to Namboer @ 11:14 am:
I haven’t sent anything out about a mail change. If it was my old howzit account, the owners closed that service quite some time back
February 4th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Reply to The Brand @ 11:22 am:
And just to block Cheater Rassie
if any frontrow “gets injured” at a scrum
that equals IMMEDIATE leaving of field –
and only replacement till NEXT scrum !!!
Given BOTH team doctors OKed return.
Now have got to know how Rassies mind works.
add the following.
Every “uncontested scrum” will automatically mean giving up 10 yards – thus scrum will be held 10 meters towards unable to contest team’s goal line from where handling mistake happened.
February 4th, 2010 at 11:31 am
Reply to The Brand @ 11:27 am:
Seems a bit unfair if it is a genuine injury.
Do I understand correctly:
- Scrum packs down, frontrower gets injured
- Injured player leaves field, no replacement comes on
- Uncontested scrum ensues 10 metres back
If so, doesn’t sound good to me.
February 4th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Reply to Ollie @ 11:31 am:
Nope – replacement comes on immediately – yet may only be hiomselfed replaced by original frontrower at next scrum and not just next set-piece.
Then knowing Rassie – if BOTH say TH’s get injured (as in Stormers case because they get hammerd) the as now uncontested scrum rest of the game with penaly of 10 meters lost.
Unless Coach declares (and is held accountable) frontrowers are sooooo seriously injured (remember BOTH team docotrs evaluate) that he will NOT PLAY next game – then and only then zero 10 m penalty for this game
February 4th, 2010 at 11:44 am
Ollie, come to think of it it’s more likely to be Ras’s (someone in Aus anyway) address. Boer, Morné, OO, JT, Deon, onkel D and a plethora of others were also addressed in the email.
Maybe I’m just stoo-pit, but don’t have the faintest idea who it is from!
February 4th, 2010 at 11:46 am
Reply to Namboer @ 11:44 am:
Fook mate, Belgium is quite far from Aus
February 4th, 2010 at 11:47 am
Reply to Namboer @ 11:44 am:
Rasputin.
The one and only.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Re the scrums:
Remember there were talks
about 8 guys on the bench
- two must be frontrowers.
What happened to this?
February 4th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Reply to The Brand @ 11:22 am: This I agree with!
The way some players react these days to getting a smack in the bek or getting trodden on is proof that New Zealand and Australia have become nanny states capable only of producing nancies…
Those hurt must take the walk of shame like in soccer… Load the fag on a stretcher and carry it off so everyone can laugh… then make him stay off till the nextstoppage… Imagine a play with 14 players cos some poof is hurt… that’ll stop them..
February 4th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Reply to DavidS @ 12:12 pm:
Ja, en bliksem hulle sommer
‘n paar houe met ‘n sambok
terwyl hulle rus.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
And ja it is Rasputin mailing Namboer
February 4th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 12:16 pm: Ja well I’m still astounded at that Adam Thompson of the Highlanders when Rory Kockott gave him an Joes Town hello, the guys the Kiwis admire so much as a “tough Southlander” in the classic mould of a Mexted or some such staggered backwards gripping his jaw with his eyes clenched and jaw dropped in agony before dropping to the ground and squeezingf some tears from his eyes…
Oh the East London rubbish got marching orders but really
Adam Thompson
what a wooooossss
February 4th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Reply to DavidS @ 12:12 pm:
TAHT is exaggerly my rationaal
February 4th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Reply to Morné @ 11:47 am: Reply to DavidS @ 12:18 pm:
He’s got a strange name for a bloke…
He he.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Oi, PiepieMier, approve ‘n slag ‘n mens op Superbru, wat moet ek so lank wag!
February 4th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Reply to Namboer @ 2:29 pm:
Ok al die approvals nou gedoen!
February 5th, 2010 at 3:05 am
These guys sure do not like rugby.
Which begs the question. If league and afl is so wonderful, why not just watch that? The rest of us certainly will not miss the continuous griping coming from Australia.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:08 am
Reply to fyndraai @ 3:05 am:
Aussies are competitive and sports insane… they want to dominate every sport there is… and in most cases do…
February 5th, 2010 at 4:57 am
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 3:08 am:
Rather change it into something they could dominate.