Eddie: Cut subs and ref chat to speed up the game

THE demand for a reduction in replacements advocated in this column before is gathering momentum, with Eddie Jones a recent convert. The England coach said: “We are letting fatigue go out of the game and apart from increasing the reserves to eight, we have had to have HIA, which has slowed the game down. We have had increased TMO, and increased protocol, which have slowed the game down. He added, facetiously, that, “referees must get paid extra for debating a game on the field”, which includes constant chats with captains, who are asked to relay the information to their team, slowing it even further. Jones said the solution is to reduce the bench to six, to get refs to cut out the chat about decisions, and “to tidy up the TMO” so it is as clear, concise, and fast as it is in Australian Rugby League. In my view six replacements is too many. If we are serious about speeding the game up, which includes making it more aerobic and less about muscle-bound subs who can only last 20 minutes, we need a bench of four. Switch-hitter props who can play both sides of the scrum, as Jason Leonard was capable of doing, plus a hooker, reduces the front row replacements to two. Then you are allowed two more utilities, it could be a back and a back-five forward, or two backs – if, for example, your hooker is athletic enough to provide back row cover. It would be up to the coach to decide which bench matrix worked best for their team, and to select accordingly. That way the fatigue and attrition in the contest that Jones has called for, and that was a huge part of the game until 20 years ago, would be restored – and Rugby Union would be better for it.