Players and coaches tell of their fears that the game is turning into tennis under contentious new directive.

If the experimental law variations which are being trialled globally this season were intended to produce running rugby, the effect has been the reverse. Matches have become clotted with aerial ping-pong, not so much because of any of the 13 ELVs but because of the International Rugby Board's parallel refereeing crackdown at the breakdown which has made it hazardous for attacking teams to attempt to recycle possession.

The IRB's directive to referees to stop attacking players illegally sealing off the breakdown and preventing opponents from playing the ball, or going to ground after a tackle to secure release, was a reaction to multi-phase play that became monotonous. The IRB wanted the breakdown to be a fair contest for possession but the upshot has been for teams to stop running the ball in their own half, for fear of conceding a penalty within range. Instead the ball is booted into the other half.

"Rugby has become like tennis," said Geraint John, the head of Canada's high performance unit. "I have talked to coaches from the top nations in recent months and they all say that they dare not attack more than 45 metres out because of the way the breakdown is being controlled. I watched Wales play South Africa last Saturday and there was a huge amount of kicking out of hand even though both sides had potentially lethal counter-attacks.
"The only side I have seen bucking the trend this season is Bath. I can understand what the IRB had in mind with the directive but I think it has gone too far. Teams should not be afraid of running the ball from deep and it is hard to evaluate the impact being made by the law variations. The breakdown directive has meant that officials are missing other offences, especially offside in midfield. The nature of rugby is what is important and what we have now is not what spectators pay to see."

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