Bring back the ruck, says acerbic uk critic

British rugby critic Stephen Jones has called for a return to oldfashioned rucking while claiming ‘‘the number of unpenalised assaults by New Zealanders on prone players over the years became grisly’’.

Jones has been lamenting ‘‘the death of rugby’’ since a turgid Autumn Nations Cup series, and believes a return to proper rucking would lead to fewer breakdowns, quicker delivery of the ball by halfbacks, ‘‘no impossible 50-50 calls for the referee, trying to judge which players are on their feet’’ and more space in open play.

Writing in The Times, Jones said it was time to ‘‘return to rucking, not the floppy, stationary two and threeman affairs to which we have become grimly accustomed at the tackle, but the dynamic confrontations of six forwards on each team, binding on each other as they enter the tackle area then drive over the ball to leave it behind’’.

He said the benefits of ‘‘a proper ruck are vast, even sumptuous’’.

‘‘No-one would be allowed to touch the ball after the tackle [heartfelt apologies to the great jackalers] because the law of rucking would say that everyone in each team has to stay on their feet to drive over, and it would be way easier to spot those who do not.

‘‘No pile of bodies, just the tackler and the tackled hurriedly moving out of the way.’’

Jones insisted that injuries under the old-style rucking laws were the result of foul play, not genuine rucking.

He cited five examples, including Bridgend’s Welsh test fullback JPR Williams’ claim he required 30 stitches after losing two pints of blood when raked across the face by All Blacks prop John Ashworth in 1978, and All Blacks lock Peter Whiting getting ‘‘stamped on by South Africa’s Moaner van Heerden when pinned in a ruck in a 1976 Cape Town test. The incident nearly led to the whole tour being called off’’.

Jones dished out his usual brickbat to New Zealand rugby, saying during the ‘proper rucking’ the All Blacks, ‘‘as ever with immaculate public relations, not to mention a dash of self-righteousness, managed to convince the game that they were playing attacking rugby and the opposition were cheats trying to stop them.

‘‘The number of unpenalised assaults by New Zealanders on prone players over the years became grisly’’.

‘‘No pile of bodies, just the tackler and the tackled hurriedly moving out of the way.’’ Stephen Jones on the benefits of rucking