Quade Cooper’s law change suggestion shut down as he tries to ‘create more chaos’ in the game
Former Wallaby star Quade Cooper has proposed a new law designed to “play fast, create more chaos, and reduce stoppages”, as he looks to make the game more enjoyable and inclusive.
Taking to social media, the 37-year-old said: “I’ve been watching a lot of Rugby lately, and it got me thinking about how we could speed the game up and open it up a bit more.
“One idea I had, hear me out. To encourage more offloads and reduce the number of rucks, what if when a team knocks the ball on, they’re not allowed to touch it next which currently results in a scrum. If they do, it’s a long arm penalty.”
The idea with this would be to limit the amount of dead time in the game by reducing the need for a scrum – a part of the game that often greatly frustrates the casual viewer.
“That gives the opposition guaranteed first rights to the ball,” Cooper continued.
“They can pick it up and play immediately with a backward pass, or if they want to slow it down, it could work similar to an AFL mark and you have 10 seconds to resume play or it’s a turn over again. If you step off the mark, you’re live and can be tackled.
“The goal is simple, reward teams that want to play fast, create more chaos, and reduce stoppages?”
A mixed response to the suggested rule change
Rugby journalist Jamie Lyall responded, saying: “I like the principle of the ‘offending’ team not being able to kill play after they knock on. But would you discourage ambition and risk-taking in attack if you increase potential sanction for an error? Might also lead to even more box/contestable kicks to try and force knock-on”.
Springbok rugby fan, Ndabzinto, added: “I’ll be damned if I let the opposition have first rights to anything that’s contestable, especially in open play. I’d concede the penalty and slow down the game. A lot of players would. A lot of coaches would tell their players to do so.”
Another summed up the thoughts of many of the commenters, saying: “Rugby union is like a game of chess, there is many ways to win a game, let’s keep it that way. The game has evolved over the decades, let’s not change it into a totally new sport.”
There have been various law changes since the dawn of the sport, and each one has brought a different dynamic to the game we see today. Some have been majorly successful, some have not stood the test of time. But innovation and experimentation have allowed the game to grow into the success that it has become.
While Quade’s suggestion may not come to fruition, there’s no doubt that the game will continue to evolve as new ideas grow.
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