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'No-one gave South Africa stick for winning the World Cup but they played a pretty defensive set-piece, kicking based game'
Test rugby in the northern hemisphere is currently in the dock for being dull and unentertaining, but ex-England skipper Dylan Hartley believes the prevailing trend in Europe was started last year at the World Cup in Japan by the Springboks.
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Rassie Erasmus’ South Africa fought their way to glory with a restrictive game plan but while their win over England in the World Cup final was widely acclaimed, European countries are now being heavily criticised for copying that low frills template set by the Springboks.
Appearing as co-host with ex-Wales midfielder Jamie Roberts on the latest RugbyPass Offload show, Hartley suggested the current lack of entertainment isn’t a trend that has only materialised in recent weeks with the conclusion of the delayed 2020 Six Nations and the one-off Nations Cup.
“I engaged with a few fans post-game on Twitter,” said Hartley, referencing the low frills England win over Wales last Saturday in Llanelli.
“No-one gave South Africa stick for winning the World Cup but they played a pretty defensive set-piece, kicking based game. I was thinking why is everyone playing the way they are now? Is it because South Africa won the World Cup they almost set the trend for the next six months, the next year?
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Roberts replied: “My issue with this is as a professional sport, as a game, we have a duty to entertain. Rugby has to ask itself who are those people they want to entertain? Is it the usual rugby demographic we are aware of, middle-age man, loves going to the game with his mates, enjoys the intricacies of the game, the scrum, the maul, the kick pressure game, or do we want to bring on board more younger fans?
“If the answer is the latter then the game needs to adapt and change. If it’s the former and we just want to keep the traditional fans happy we can carry on with the way things are, but if rugby wants to attract new audiences it needs to evolve. If I put myself in an 18-year-old’s shoes now, I probably wouldn’t watch any game.”
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Hartley suggested it comes down to substance over style and that winning matters most. “Imagine being a coach, a DOR somewhere, are you worried about playing entertaining rugby or are you worried about the form sheet and seeing a W next to your team every weekend?
“I look at Northampton, they seem to play this nice brand of rugby but they are on the wrong side of results at the moment. Fans are pretty quick to say want this style of rugby and then you give them this style and you don’t get the result, it’s like the coaches need to go.
“So from a professional point of view, and this is where I side completely with what Eddie (Jones) does, it is all about the result. Do what you have got to do to win because people are ultimately going to be happier to follow a winning team, not a team that plays a nice style of rugby but loses every week.”
Roberts took up the baton again. “It’s a conundrum the game needs to solve. But the point you are making, we are talking about winning rugby is boring rugby so there is no reward in the risk of adventure in playing.
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“Teams don’t want to do it because they are worried about the risk of getting turned over, being too loose… teams don’t want to take that risk and because there is no reward in doing it we are not seeing entertaining rugby. It’s fascinating and whether World Rugby makes any changes remains to be seen but for me, rugby has to decide whether it wants to cater for its traditional audience or it wants to attract some new fans to the game.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments