Super Rugby 2026
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Dont mind a few of these. I reckon the law banning entering the ruck after use it call - will go a long way to getting rid of the ridiculour trains off the back of the ruck for a boxie. however will this again put nz players behind the game when it comes to international rugby? i.e how shit our outsides are at taking high balls
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@DurryMexted i also dont rate the pass back for 50:22. I remember when this was the case for clearances from 22, and you would have the 10 sitting miles back in the pocket from a ruck near the 10m so they can boot it out
50:22 has been a great avenue for turning momentum in the game, but if you are already in their half, we should be encouraging attacking rugby, not nudging to corners. May not even amount to many attempts in reality but seems unnecessary
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@DurryMexted said in Super Rugby 2026:
Dont mind a few of these. I reckon the law banning entering the ruck after use it call - will go a long way to getting rid of the ridiculour trains off the back of the ruck for a boxie. however will this again put nz players behind the game when it comes to international rugby? i.e how shit our outsides are at taking high balls
I not sure what the not letting players joining after the ref says use it will do, although it would be a good time for the defending team to throw extra players in to slow ball down. The attacking team can't put in anymore to counteract it? But not sure oif any of them will make much difference really.
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It's easy to prevent 50/22's you just need to drop more players back.
By allowing a 50/22 from a pass back wingers will need to drop back further/more frequently. The result is less players up in the flat defensive line and attacking space on the fringes.
The current rule has already helped this. I can see the logic for extending it
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@Dan54 said in Super Rugby 2026:
@DurryMexted said in Super Rugby 2026:
Dont mind a few of these. I reckon the law banning entering the ruck after use it call - will go a long way to getting rid of the ridiculour trains off the back of the ruck for a boxie. however will this again put nz players behind the game when it comes to international rugby? i.e how shit our outsides are at taking high balls
I not sure what the not letting players joining after the ref says use it will do, although it would be a good time for the defending team to throw extra players in to slow ball down. The attacking team can't put in anymore to counteract it? But not sure oif any of them will make much difference really.
Attacking team can counteract it by actually using it, instead of waving over 2 tight forwards to come and lean on the ruck so 9 can get a better angle on the box kick. The use it call was an empty threat until now so will be pretty interesting to see how this effects play
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Ok, initial thoughts was not a fan of the pass back for 50:22, but you've convinced me.
Players will be allowed to take quick taps within one metre either side of the of the mark, or anywhere behind the mark, if they are within that two-metre channel running parallel to the touchlines. (Law 20.2)
Doesn't mean refs have to make a mark first?
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@Bovidae said in Super Rugby 2026:
The ref discretion for an automatic card after a PT will be interesting to see how it plays out. Hopefully the refs have discussed guidelines amongst themselves.
Inline with the other law changes, I imagine this is just largely anti-scrum - so a prop who is being dominated is less likely to be carded.
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@DurryMexted said in Super Rugby 2026:
50:22 has been a great avenue for turning momentum in the game, but if you are already in their half, we should be encouraging attacking rugby, not nudging to corners. May not even amount to many attempts in reality but seems unnecessary
Haha . . . the theory is that the defence will have to drop back to cover the kick sooner . . . hence the kick wont actually come . . . because the attacking team will see a bit more space out wide . . . and move the ball there by hands . . . that I think is the theory . . . we'll see.
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@Bovidae said in Super Rugby 2026:
The ref discretion for an automatic card after a PT will be interesting to see how it plays out. Hopefully the refs have discussed guidelines amongst themselves.
I really like this . . . I think the refs will go for the PT much quicker now . . . couple of quick infringements by the defence on the line . . . straight to the PT.
Ridiculous to have multiple infringements, in multiple phases, on the goal-line.
Just PT it . . . back to half-way . . . and get on with it.Having said all that, the refs do seem to get excited on the try line . . . and forget to referee the attacking team.
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@booboo said in Super Rugby 2026:
Ok, initial thoughts was not a fan of the pass back for 50:22, but you've convinced me.
Players will be allowed to take quick taps within one metre either side of the of the mark, or anywhere behind the mark, if they are within that two-metre channel running parallel to the touchlines. (Law 20.2)
Doesn't mean refs have to make a mark first?
Don't have to "make" it now do they? My impression is what you might be deeming as making the mark is just signalling where it is - the imaginary mark was already there before they signalled it.
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@Dan54 said in Super Rugby 2026:
@DurryMexted said in Super Rugby 2026:
Dont mind a few of these. I reckon the law banning entering the ruck after use it call - will go a long way to getting rid of the ridiculour trains off the back of the ruck for a boxie. however will this again put nz players behind the game when it comes to international rugby? i.e how shit our outsides are at taking high balls
I not sure what the not letting players joining after the ref says use it will do, although it would be a good time for the defending team to throw extra players in to slow ball down. The attacking team can't put in anymore to counteract it? But not sure oif any of them will make much difference really.
In practice, refs are typically only calling 'use it' at more or less dead rucks. It seems designed to basically count caterpillar rucks.
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Interesting what these rules will do to ball in play time.
Fatigue might start to become a real factor.
We might be getting to a tipping point, even a few extra minutes could have an affect on the type (size) of players required.Robinson (Brett) will push hard for these world-wide if they improve the BIPT and flow of the game, which I guess is the intention.
If that happens, it will be good for the ABs internationally.
But if they dont . . . it will be bad. -
@mohikamo said in Super Rugby 2026:
Interesting what these rules will do to ball in play time.
Fatigue might start to become a real factor.
We might be getting to a tipping point, even a few extra minutes could have an affect on the type (size) of players required.Robinson (Brett) will push hard for these world-wide if they improve the BIPT and flow of the game, which I guess is the intention.
If that happens, it will be good for the ABs internationally.
But if they dont . . . it will be bad.Robinson was saying when I heard him talking about these rule changes that the hope was they would be adopted in to WR by June 2026, which is the cut off point for changes before the WC.
I can see the NH teams not being keen on Speeding up the game.
Which. Is Robinsons agenda to quicken up
International rugby. -
@frugby said in Super Rugby 2026:
@Bovidae said in Super Rugby 2026:
The ref discretion for an automatic card after a PT will be interesting to see how it plays out. Hopefully the refs have discussed guidelines amongst themselves.
Inline with the other law changes, I imagine this is just largely anti-scrum - so a prop who is being dominated is less likely to be carded.
I think we'll see this discretion used for collapsed lineout drives. Not all of them are deliberate and cynical from a player that has been given a YC.
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All these should make the game even better to watch
but are we setting our test players up to fail later in the year? Most of the world have zero interest in these type of changes, and we'll head back to the trench (and aerial) warfare of test rugby with a bunch of lean fit fast players ill equipped for it
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Players like Roigard and McDermott are going to have a field day with those free kick alterations. Shame Pledger is injured because he would be another one to benefit from these rules.
