AGAR PLEADS FOR CAUTION
LEEDS coach Richard Agar has urged rugby league bosses not to rush into major rule changes – saying they could transform the sport.
The RFL’S Laws Committee has made a series of recommendations for the remainder of the 2020 season, with the key two being the scrapping of scrums – for health reasons – and copying the NRL’S new ‘six again’ rule.
Under that, no penalties are awarded for play-the-ball infringements – with the tackle count restarting instead – which has significantly speeded the game up in Australia.
Both are only recommendations that will now be considered by clubs and then the RFL board in July – and Agar insists the changes should not be rushed into.
He said: “I would urge caution. I’d like to see more evidence and data first.
“If you bring in the six again law and take scrums out, on the back of having six months off and potentially playing midweek games, it’s going to have a massive impact on the way the game looks.
“We’d have to be ready for the game not looking
■ anything like we know it and that’s very dangerous.
“On the six again rule, if that eradicates some of the wrestling and produces more ad-lib and unstructured play, then that’s great.
“But if all it leads to is one-out plays, where teams try to blow others away down the middle, then I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
“If there are no breaks in play, then the big men are going to find it very, very hard.
“We have to factor in what we really want the game to look like – it may be completely different overnight.
“And on the scrums being a Covid issue, what I’d say is, ‘Are we safe or aren’t we?’
Hull KR coach Tony Smith is similarly hesitant, saying: “I’m mixed on the six again rule – the NRL have made a change early in their season and we tend to follow them, whether it’s right or wrong.
“The general consensus among coaches here is, ‘Let’s watch it for a bit longer and take a bit of time to decide its impact’.
“It seems silly to change it quickly or too soon when we still have a bit of time.”