Ex-Wallabies coach bemoans the scrum remaining a ‘contest’ but not the game as Eddie Jones hits out at match-deciding cards
France stars Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey with an inset of ex-Wallabies coach Ewan McKenzie.
Former Wallabies head coach Ewen McKenzie has tabled an idea for rugby matches to be more contestable in a bid to offset the impact of cards.
It’s been a testing international window for World Rugby and the matchday officials, with a plethora of yellow and red cards issued for controversial incidents.
McKenzie and Japan boss Eddie Jones feel that the number of sin-binnings is a blight on the game, with the latter stating that many of the yellow cards are deciding the matches.
Game-deciding cards
Jones said that the game between Ireland and the Boks was a ‘tedious watch’ but also bemoaned the impact of Tom Hooper’s yellow card on the match between France and Australia.
“Well, it just struck me when I was watching the France-Australia game. It was 27-26, France get probably a right penalty, kick to touch, maul, another penalty, kick to touch, maul, penalty and then Australia got a sin-bin. Then that basically decides the game,” he said on the Rugby Unity podcast.
“In that period, France then scored enough points to win the game. Up until then, it’s an absolutely ding-dong, good contest of rugby, a good display from both teams, but then you get that one bit of play where someone’s put in the bin.
“And sometimes, I’m sure it’s necessary [to issue a card], but there’s got to be a better way to keep the game even.
“What I mean by even is that it’s a fair contest between 15 versus 15, because our game is set up to be 15v15, and we see that pattern so much around that 55/60 minute mark. Penalty, go to touch, maul collapses, then there’s a warning that next bloke goes to the bin, then there’s a sin bin, and there’s a try, like there’s got to be a better way to do it. There’s got to be a better way to do it.”
McKenzie’s radical idea
McKenzie’s suggestion is that a player could be removed from the game and replaced by a reserve to maintain a 15v15 battle, but still punish the offending team in some manner.
His argument is that when a front-row player is yellow carded, at the next scrum the team is forced into bringing another front-row forward on, often sacrificing a loose forward, in order for the contest in the scrum to continue.
“Well, we actually do it for the scrum, if a front-rower gets yellow carded, then they have to bring another front-row on to maintain the scrum contest numbers, right? So, then you lose a back-rower,” he began.
“It’s actually unfair on the back-row that he gets sent off. He has to go and sit on the sideline while another front-rower comes on the field and plays in the position.
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“So, we maintain the scrum contest. So, if we’re maintaining the scrum contest, why can’t we maintain the game contest? Why can’t the yellow card player go off, and someone else comes on?
“Then maybe you have a limit. If you’re using the players off the bench to cover a yellow card scenario, maybe you can choose to play short, but if you use that player, then they’re used; you can’t keep replacing and having interchanges and whatever else. There’s a finite number of times the players can come off the bench.
“It could get confusing because players are going off the field, but there has to be a better way because we are maintaining numbers for the scrum contest, but we’re not doing so for the game contest.”
Jones replied: “That’s a really valid point.”
