Today’s rugby news sees new law variations for a faster game with less TMO delay (or fewer delays), women players getting paid (a bit), Louis Lynagh recovering & still available for Australia and Welsh Rugby’s Tom Jones trouble is not unusual.
The Laws, They Are A-Changin’
The Brett Lee of Rugby Australia press conference Dorothy Dixers, Nathan Williamson, reports that Super Rugby Pacific law variations are set to be implemented for the 2023 season. Referees will enforce 90 second time limits on conversions, 60 for penalty kicks, 30 for scrums and lineouts and 5 seconds for the ball to be used at rucks.
“We want Super Rugby Pacific to be the most entertaining, innovative and fastest professional rugby competition in the world,” Tournament Director Matt Barlow said in a statement. “We’ve listened to our fans and taken steps to reduce stoppages and video replays, increase flow and maintain the integrity of the competition and the safety of players in regard to yellow and red cards. Players, coaches and referees are excited about these innovations, and we believe they will create a better fan experience both at game and for those watching on television.”
Along with this, the competition will look to reduce the use of the TMO within general play. This will see it only used to ‘interrupt’ play to investigate serious, clear and obvious incidents of foul play missed by the on-field match officials.
Any incident of foul play that is deemed at the Yellow Card level on-field will automatically be reviewed by the TMO during the 10-minute period the player is off. The TMO will have eight minutes to make a decision to either uphold the call or upgrade to a red card, which will once again see a player sidelined for 20 minutes. (No comment on “nah that was fine, the scrum half had it coming” as an option.) Barlow also confirmed referees will have the power to issue a full red card for deliberate foul play in which a player cannot be replaced after the 20 minutes has allotted.
“The review process for dangerous play will be as vigorous as ever and we believe TMOs will be able to make better judgements about the seriousness of foul play offences without the pressure of having to watch replays under stressful time constraints,” Barlow added. “There is also the addition of a stronger deterrent for deliberate foul play with the referee having the option of issuing a full red card. We know players and fans don’t want to watch multiple frame-by-frame replays while they wait for the match to resume, so we believe we’ve struck the right balance.”
“TMOs will still be reviewing the two phases before a try is scored and can still be called upon by the referee to check things like the ball being grounded when a try has been scored. The difference will be the Match Official Team will lead the process and viewers will not see as many replays.”
Full list of changes here. Additional notable points below:
- Any Player who receives two Yellow Card sanctions during a match, will receive a Red Card sanction in which the Player would be removed from the match but would be permitted to be replaced after 20 minutes from the time of the 2nd Yellow Card incident.
- 9) Removing designated water breaks (except under Heat Guidelines) [see link for full text]
- Once play in the scrum begins, the scrum-half of the team not in possession: (a) Remains on that team’s side of the middle line within 1m of the scrum, or (b) Permanently retires to a point on the offside line either at that team’s hindmost foot, or (c) Permanently retires at least five metres behind the hindmost foot
- the scrum-half is to generally give the yapping a farken rest occasionally FFS.
Some money for women players
The SMH reports that Rugby Australia will, for the first time, offer part-time contracts to 35 elite women’s players in the 15 a side game. The contracts will be across three tiers, and range from $30,000 to $52,000 for top earners. As part of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Rugby Australia will use a $2 million funding boost to also pay every Super W player $4,000 and invest in Australian women’s high-performance environments.
Described as a first step towards the Wallaroos being paid to train and play full-time, which chief executive Andy Marinos confirmed was still targeted for 2025. Oddly enough, the money isn’t enough for Waratah, Wallaroo and carpenter Emily Robinson to stop leaving nails sticking out for the painters to find just yet. But, it is enriching recognition for the 29 year old & her peers and is a necessary stride towards the next Emily Robinson getting a chance to play rugby for a living.
Rising at 6am, Robinson is on the tools until mid-afternoon before she drives to training and then dives into meetings, physio, gym work and on-field sessions. At about 9pm the 18 cap Wallaroos prop gets home, eats dinner and climbs into bed, ready to do it all again the next day. Being a prop and a tradie, presumably doing all this on a flavoured milk and servo pastry diet makes it all the more remarkable.
“I started playing when I was eight years old, I looked up to Phil Waugh and Matt Giteau,” Robinson said. “They were my two favourite players, and I didn’t even know Australia had a women’s team. I never thought about getting paid, I didn’t even know it was an option. But to be able to create a path … I have two young nieces and when they’re of age to play for Australia, it could be their full-time job. It is super exciting.”
Louis Lynagh back from injury and still Wallaby-eligible
Rugbypass reports that rising star Louis Lynagh, son of Wallaby great Michael, is set to return to action after undergoing two knee operations that have sidelined him all season.
Former England head coach Eddie Jones (unclear what he’s up to now) included Lynagh in the Soap Dodger national squad without capping the wing, which means he remains eligible for Australia, Italy and England. His brother Tom started at flyhalf for the heroic Queensland Reds in their narrow loss to the villainous Waratahs at the weekend in the buildup to the Super Rugby season.
Lynagh, who was a key try scorer when Harlequins won the Premiership, will miss Friday’s important Premiership clash at Gloucester but Harlequins boss Tabai Matson is confident the talented 22-year-old will be ready to compete for a place against Exeter at Twickenham on 5 March. Two years ago Lynagh scored two late tries as Quins defeated defending champions Exeter 40-38 in the premiership final at Twickenham to win their first title for nine years.
Why, why, why?
Nine reports that the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) told the London Welsh Male Voice Choir to scratch ‘Delilah’ from its playlist over ‘troubling lyrics’. The ban (ahead of the opening Six Nations round) came amid allegations of sexism, bullying, and racism at the governing body. The 1968 song features lyrics that are “problematic and upsetting to some supporters,” according to the WRU.
That didn’t stop the 74,500 strong home crowd from belting out the ballad shortly after half-time in Cardiff, in a 34-10 loss to Ireland for the home team.
“Just as the second half began – and, pertinently, in the seconds following the booming tunes over the tannoy had blessedly gone quiet – ‘so the light in the night that I passed by her window’ reverberated under the roof,” wrote the Telegraph’s James Corrigan. “Wales actually scored their first – and only – try as the rousing rendition was under way.”
The ban on ‘Delilah’ comes at a time when the Welsh Rugby Union finds itself embroiled in turmoil. Some might say that banning the song is just the tip of the iceberg for the governing body and is seen as little more than a band-aid fix to its far more worrying and deep-seated issues. Even the player group saw through the thinly veiled window dressing, Louis Rees-Zammit tweeting, “All the things they need to do and they do that first…”
For reference, these are the ‘Delilah’ lyrics:
I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window
I saw the flickering shadows of love on her blind
She was my woman
As she deceived me, I watched and went out of my mind
My, my, my, Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah
I could see, that girl was no good for me
But I was lost like a slave that no man could free
At break of day when that man drove away, I was waiting
I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door
She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more
My, my, my, Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah
So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me Delilah, I just couldn’t take anymore
She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more
My, my, my, Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah
So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn’t take anymore
Forgive me, Delilah, I just couldn’t take anymore
The WRU are currently scouring Snoop Dogg’s catalogue for a suitable replacement song.
