Talking of rugby - well, to be fair, Robert wasn't since it brings up bad memories for him and explains his dislike of apples - not merely because they are the instruments of Satan ...
... Richard and I have mentioned it once or twice recently. I'm sort of enjoying the World Cup Rugby at the moment even though New Zealand lost to the pesky French and a couple of other teams I dislike have easily won their initial pool games.
What I don't like though is how the modern game is so dependent on penalties (England would have still beaten Argentina on penalty kicks alone even if they hadn't scored the phenomenal three drop goals) that it slows down and ruins the game. More than half of the penalties are given for transgressions that I don't understand. I can accept penalties for high tackles, deliberate disruption, off-side, tackling an opponent above the shoulders, tackling an opponent who is not in possession of the ball, tackling a player in midair, late hits, obstructing an opponent from tackling the ball-carrier, deliberately collapsing a scrum or illegally collapsing a maul etc but come on, there are transgressions that must have been dreamed up by those forward guys who are jealous of the backs getting all the limelight.
Who can understand penalties given for failing to release the ball after being tackled, the tackling player failing to release the tackled player, entering a ruck or a maul from the side, not binding properly on an opponent (for prop forwards) or a teammate (for other players), leaving the scrum before the ball has emerged from it, not pushing straight against the opposing pack, or, for Robert's god's sake - leaving one's feet in the ruck?
Maybe the namby-pambies and pedantic administrators (who are probably ex-schoolteachers) should drop all of these penalty rules except the ones for excessively violent or foul play, eye-gouging, and doing anything against the wingers and centres.
This could create a free-flowing and exciting game unencumbered by too many similar rules. I'm sure that it's been used in the past:
1 comment:
You can't win 'em all.
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