The Who
Journey Man
Yes, we've had more than enough rule changes. But do we still need -play-the-balls?
Their purpose is to restart play following a tackle. Why can't the tackled player simply regain his feet, turn and pass the ball to a teammate to achieve what would be a much cleaner result?
Originally the play-the-ball was a contest where the defender could strike at, or rake, the ball in an attempt to gain possession.
That is no longer allowed. So what is the point of a ritual which these days looks messy, leads to frustration and penalties, and causes confusion... did he regain his feet correctly? Did his foot rake the ball? Did the dummy half 'bobble' the ball when picking it up? Did the defender interfere in any way? Were the markers square?
The play-the-ball is an unattractive aspect of the sport, so why not banish it like so many other rules? Have the ref instruct the tackler to regain his feet and instruct him to pass the ball? Simple, clean, effective and much less likely to result in a penalty.
OK, rip into this idea!
Their purpose is to restart play following a tackle. Why can't the tackled player simply regain his feet, turn and pass the ball to a teammate to achieve what would be a much cleaner result?
Originally the play-the-ball was a contest where the defender could strike at, or rake, the ball in an attempt to gain possession.
That is no longer allowed. So what is the point of a ritual which these days looks messy, leads to frustration and penalties, and causes confusion... did he regain his feet correctly? Did his foot rake the ball? Did the dummy half 'bobble' the ball when picking it up? Did the defender interfere in any way? Were the markers square?
The play-the-ball is an unattractive aspect of the sport, so why not banish it like so many other rules? Have the ref instruct the tackler to regain his feet and instruct him to pass the ball? Simple, clean, effective and much less likely to result in a penalty.
OK, rip into this idea!