Referees must simply stop ignoring the laws
I WAS RFU President in 2013/14 and spent a few weeks with England U20s as they went on to win the World Championship.
Several of this team are now in the senior England squad. After training one day I asked two of the props, each 19, what was the purpose of a scrum. They each responded ‘to win a penalty’.
This is what they had been coached at their Premiership clubs. I asked if their U20s forward coach, Ian Peel (now with Saracens) coached with this in mind. They each said he did not, and when Ian joined us, we had a very positive discussion.
Players are currently being coached in several aspects of the game which are clearly against the law and the spirit of the game. The responsibility is totally with referees to observe the existing laws. If they did, players and coaches would respond and the game would improve.
Here are elements of the game that are currently being ruined because referees have chosen to ignore existing law: 1) Not straight in the scrum. The first obvious denial of law, which led to the change in purpose of the scrummage. 2) Not staying on the feet at the breakdown. This has led to all sorts of related infringements, which are often ignored. It is disappointing to see players penalised for not releasing the ball when they have several players lying on top of them. 3) Scrum-halves playing with the ball at the base of the breakdown. Once the No.9 touches the ball, the referee should call ‘play on’ and allow the defence to move. It would speed up the game, stop the endless setting up of pods of forwards waiting to drive round the edges, and improve scrumhalf passing. 4) Players clearly standing in off-side positions at the breakdown. Why don’t touch judges do their jobs? 5) Lineout drive. Possibly the worst aspect of the game. The law is broken in several ways when the drive surges towards the try line. The most obvious, never penalised, is the initial catcher, who, having passed the ball on and with his back to the opposition, acts as an obstruction pulling the maul towards the line, without binding properly on anyone.
Players need more space, and the game needs speeding up. Referees can sort this out. Why don’t they?
BOB REEVES via email