https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... x-28163480 Perhaps the RFL was listening when RS was talking after all.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... x-28163480 Perhaps the RFL was listening when RS was talking after all.

Great news. He wasn't wrong about consistently pointing it out, just wasn't doing it from a position of strength at the time.

I’d have gone further and scrapped 6 again full stop. The other rules are just reasserting the existing rules and bringing back the penalty on the flop.

All positive but expect to be a frustrating start to the season until players figure it out

I'd add I live in hope that this lasts the full season and not just the first few rounds. The RFL has form here.

Sounds a right s*** sandwich tbh. Won't be many minutes into the new season before we see a penalty given for the markers being incorrectly positioned while an illegal ptb is ignored. Or vice versa.

"Moving forward, there will be a clampdown on incorrect play the balls with players now being warned that they must make a genuine attempt to touch the ball with their foot"

Yikes. "Interpretation" is going to be a buzzword while this settles down.
If I were a coach - I'd be requesting a sit down and / or a session with the refs to make crystal clear what the interpretations are going to be.

It's a good start, and long overdue, but we'll see how long they enforce it before they revert back to type.

my thoughts too jack

Why cannot it simply be that the player must play the ball correctly rather than they must make a genuine attempt?

What is a genuine attempt? Why not make it crystal clear and just state the play the ball must be undertaken correctly.

The 6 again rule change is pretty clear and a much needed change. The others will be a vanity project for refs, prepare for it to be scrappy in a different way for a good while til leniency ensues.

Rest assured the Wellenses and the Watsons of this world will do exactly that. Having done so they'll then figure out how they can best exploit that interpretation to slow their opponents and we're all back at ground zero

Completely agree Seth…..the 6 again rule change has long been overdue….the others will no doubt be clamped down on for the first few rounds and when fans and SKY pundits get fed up with the amount of penalties and stoppages, it will revert to normal.

Even if the other rules don’t get Policed consistently all season, the new 6 again rule is great news. Most teams (but especially Saints) are going to need to rethink their defensive tactics now they cannot simply give away ‘tactical ‘ 6 agains when having the opposition trapped deep in their own half

Well, the 6 again loophole was cynically exploited for nearly 2 years yet it wasn't even looked at until now, glad that ones been sorted as it wa a complete joke.
I don't like the smell of any decision that relies on "interpretation" as its just another stick to beat Refs with and will inevitably lead to - x ref is bent / against us etc.

Agree. As has been said, why not say the player must ptb correctly, rather than just make a genuine attempt. The former removes any ambiguity or subjectivity. To paraphrase Yoda, there is no "try". There is only "do" or "do not".

Jesus Christ, how do rugby players manage to put their feet into shoes on a morning if they can’t stand on something the size of a rugby ball. The RFL are treating everybody like idiots with this “genuine” attempt to play the ball. Like you say, put your foot on the ball and roll it backwards, if not it’s a penalty.

According to the linked article in the op, the defensive line can only move up once the ball player has touched the ball with his heel. Yet there is no requirement to touch the ball with the foot..

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/rf ... kle-height Only tackles below the armpit from 2025

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/rf ... kle-height Only tackles below the armpit from 2025

I am genuinely worried about the 2025 rule changes.

Me too Jim

Me too. The trial academy games last season were a complete farce. I wouldn’t pay to watch it, nor would I watch it for free.

There are also limits on the total minutes players can play during the season. Forwards over 22 years old max of 2000 minutes, backs max 2400. Different for younger players. Probably just about ok at those levels. However, the issue is that, once introduced, limits are here forever and only ever move in one direction.

Everyone there could see the academy games were a disaster and the players were as frustrated as the speccies.

I just don’t believe the tackle height rule will do anything to actually prevent head injury, but everything to destroy the game.

The current rules are more than sufficient to manage the risks. They would literally get better results addressing the drinking/drugs culture than this silly farce.

Yep. I honestly thought - after seeing a couple of games - that they would scrap it and try and come up with something else. I've been watching the sport for 45 years now and it's changed substantially over that period, but it's always been unmistakably RL. The trial games bore no relation to that sport. Are they bringing similar rules into the NRL?

The problem with all this is that then means you have to tackle even lower as momentum inevitably causes the tackle to rise up after impact. Best enjoy this season as 25 is going to be a disaster if this happens.

With the defender having to put their head at the same level as the ball carriers forearm/elbow/hip. I can see more head injuries as a result of this, not fewer.