The answer to all rugby problems

If rugby was to remove the position of flanker and only have 13 players then all its problems would be fixed. There would be more space for running, the breakdown wouldn't be such a mess, the scrum wouldn't be such a mess etc etc etc. I think having a scrum with a front row, second row and number 8 would be sufficient. The flanker is basically surplus to requirements. discuss

With two less forwards we can get rid of the lineout too.

We could clean up the breakdown by just having the tackled player stand up and pass the ball back to a team mate. You might have to limit that to 5 or 6 tackles then the opposition get the ball.

I'm not suggesting turning into League. I just think that flankers are a bit unnecessary and get in the way. Imagine how open it would become without flankers. It would be freakin awesome!

Surely its the props who are the problem?
They refuse to scrummage legally and arent capable of bending over their stomachs to pick a ball up on their feet. They also ruin lineouts by lifting people and generally existing.
There certainly would be a lot more space without the fatties.

Getting rid of flankers just because they actually do some work and play all the rugby seems harsh.

Get rid of all the forwards!

They all just waste space on the pitch, spend most of the game hugging each other and they look very common too.

The game would be so much better if we just had 7 really fast guys and they could run end to end scoring tries. You probably wouldn't need the game to last so long then too, so we could have sone sort if series format where loads of games are played in a day.

To add a little extra space, how about asking 3 of those very fast men to hug occasionally?

Gooseberry wrote:Surely its the props who are the problem?
They refuse to scrummage legally and arent capable of bending over their stomachs to pick a ball up on their feet. They also ruin lineouts by lifting people and generally existing.
There certainly would be a lot more space without the fatties.

Getting rid of flankers just because they actually do some work and play all the rugby seems harsh.

You can't get rid of the flankers;
(a) I'll never regain my lost pace so I have to stay in the pack
(b) I have been waiting 40 years for my second growth spurt. If it hasn't come by now then I'll never be a second row.
(c) Although I'm willing to up the beer and cake intake I couldn't afford a whole new wardrobe so I'll never make a prop.

Keep the flankers. Shoot the half backs: they're the buggers who keep looking for space.

I feel like this isn't being taken seriously

LondonTiger wrote:To add a little extra space, how about asking 3 of those very fast men to hug occasionally?

Can't do that. It would spoil their hair

jimbopip wrote:

Gooseberry wrote:Surely its the props who are the problem?
They refuse to scrummage legally and arent capable of bending over their stomachs to pick a ball up on their feet. They also ruin lineouts by lifting people and generally existing.
There certainly would be a lot more space without the fatties.

Getting rid of flankers just because they actually do some work and play all the rugby seems harsh.

You can't get rid of the flankers;
(a) I'll never regain my lost pace so I have to stay in the pack
(b) I have been waiting 40 years for my second growth spurt. If it hasn't come by now then I'll never be a second row.
(c) Although I'm willing to up the beer and cake intake I couldn't afford a whole new wardrobe so I'll never make a prop.

Keep the flankers. Shoot the half backs: they're the buggers who keep looking for space.

But without scum halves (sorry SCRUM halves), who is going to referee the game?

Considering the OP wants to end with 13 players.

If you remove the props the game would be faster.
If you remove the Flankers you would miss those awesome hits.
If you remove the second row there would be no need to jump
If you remove the Halfback pairing, forwards would learn how to pass
If you remove the midfield there will be more gaps and therefor more tries
If you remove the wings the game would be slower.

That leaves only the hooker and Fullback, if you remove them there is nobody to make extra beer money after hours and nobody to close the taxi door when you are all drunk.

Bilt

It's clear you don't watch much NH rugby. Up here, the only thing you'd notice if the wingers were removed is that there wouldn't be 4 guys leaving the field with spotlessly clean shirts.

The only thing i would change is bring summer rugby to the NH season, this would mean less fatties in the packs and a lot more spaces.

Not sure going the league route is the way forward.

Also when there is a knock on i would give the opposite team the choice between a free kick or a scrum. It's a bit wrong when a team has a scrum advantage and can knock the ball on as much as they want without any consequences apart from getting a scrum penalty at the next scrum.

Get rid of everybody numbered one to eight, scrub round lineouts and scrummages and make kicking the ball illegal too, just for good measure.  What we want is a game where people just run with the ball in hand, unopposed, and we can have twenty or thirty tries per side in a game.   Wow.... wouldn't that be AWESOME...!!!

Give everybody a little hanky they can wear on the waistband of their shorts and whenever an opponent pulls it out and waves it in the air that player then has to stop and either pass the ball or turn it over to the opposition. Of course, England would have an advantage in the hanky waving stakes due to their experience in Morris Dancing, but being England it won't be long before the rest of the world catches up and overtakes them in that technique.

Yeah, that solves all the problems.  No nasty big people getting in the way of all that lovely running around and showing off.   None of that messy business of getting all muddy or - heavens forbid - having to spoil ones manicure by laying hands on ruffians.

Rugby would be sooooooo lovely if we could do away with all that nasty business.

The Fourth Lion wrote:Get rid of everybody numbered one to eight, scrub round lineouts and scrummages and make kicking the ball illegal too, just for good measure.  What we want is a game where people just run with the ball in hand, unopposed, and we can have twenty or thirty tries per side in a game.   Wow.... wouldn't that be AWESOME...!!!

Give everybody a little hanky they can wear on the waistband of their shorts and whenever an opponent pulls it out and waves it in the air that player then has to stop and either pass the ball or turn it over to the opposition.  Of course, England would have an advantage in the hanky waving stakes due to their experience in Morris Dancing, but being England it won't be long before the rest of the world catches up and overtakes them in that technique.

Yeah, that solves all the problems.  No nasty big people getting in the way of all that lovely running around and showing off.   None of that messy business of getting all muddy or - heavens forbid - having to spoil ones manicure by laying hands on ruffians.

Rugby would be sooooooo lovely if we could do away with all that nasty business.

The question on everyone's lips will be, how long should a half of seven a side be, 40 minutes sounds a bit long, eh?

But very innovative thinking there Would love to see such a match

Clearly rugby CAN be very exciting the 6 nations is a great example.
Basically all we need to do is award one league point per try scored. so 4 points for winning the game, and 1 point per try scored, up to a maximum of 8 tries. It would totally open the game up. Teams have to attack and score tries.

THERE is no answer as soon as a law is changed,teams seek out best methods to negate it.
Laws in place are often simple or obscure tackle ball law in essence says.1 if tackled use or
RELEASE the ball and role away AT ONCE.2 Tackler must RELEASE tackled player immediatly etc.
NOT sit on him till ball is won or LAY on the ball till your players catch up.
The game as played now has NOTHING to do with Rugby Union it is a hybrid of union/league
Defences are league style ,the breakdown often league before the 4 tackle law was introduced.
The laws covering the scrum alone are more than ALL the laws Soccer put together,currently
it is physic ally impossible.
For the feeding sides hooker to win it legally a IRB think tank admits it and changes will be
made post RWC.
We have a game where Hookers have forgotten how to hook,Props to Scrummage legally
[if they ever did debatable].Scrum halves rely on squint feeds to win the ball.
Lineout lifting legalised means props throwing players into the air at lineout/kick off instead
skill/timing set up.Competing is impossible if the gap between is scrupously applied by ref.
Blitz/Rush defence onlyworks if off side laws are not enforced .
You want a proper game get rid of bonus points,the card system,the tmo,reffing by tv.
Ref makes decisions on what he sees and tightening upon universal interpratations within
certain parameters.