Rassie Erasmus' three ideas that 'could help the game kick on'
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Springbok Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus has three ideas that 'could help the game kick on'.
In his latest column for the Daily Mail, Erasmus wrote that 'it’s impossible to expect a referee to make between 800 and 850 decisions in one match.'
He added that game is unable to flow nowadays and rather than add on layers of new laws, he suggests that there are ways to simplify things without changing too much.
Here were his three ideas:
1. SORT OUT THE SCRUM
Erasmus suggests that a group of world-class scrummaging experts should form a specialist scrummaging referees group.
The group should be made up of former players and coaches according to the Boks' boss.
'These guys could roam along the touchline, as close as possible to the action and the moment a scrum is called they sprint on to officiate it.' Erasmus said.
He added that this 'would be their only job, so they would have no impact on the rest of the game.'
He further added to the idea by suggesting that these officials would be mic'ed up and linked the broadcaster's commentary to help the viewers understand the decisions.
Erasmus added that nobody would question the decisions of Graham Rowntree or Petrus du Plessis or Joe Marler at the scrum and that there are already 58 things you can be punished for at a scrum.
2. BRING IN A SHOT CLOCK
'You get 60 seconds to kick a penalty and 90 seconds to kick a conversion. People want to see more ball in play, so why not police those time limits?' Erasmus questioned.
Most kicks go 20 seconds over the allowance according to Erasmus and if there are six kicks in the match, that's two minutes of the game gone.
The shot clock has been used in South Africa this season while it is a standard in the TOP14 but is not in place globally.
'We could easily increase the ball-in-play time by between seven and 10 minutes by enforcing the laws as they are written' Erasmus adds while adding that any stoppage in the game should see the game clock be stopped.
'If a team goes into a huddle before a lineout, stop the clock. If a guy goes down to tie his shoelaces or take a drink before a scrum, stop the clock.'
3. TWO REFEREES
'The idea of two referees sounds radical and it has been tried, but it can work if done correctly.' Erasmus wrote.
He adds that 'you need five pairs of eyes to see what is going on at a breakdown — otherwise you are guessing.'
'One who focuses on the breakdown area and another who looks at everything else outside of that.'
