+1

Yes. On Thursday in the HKR v Hudds game there was a penalty given for obstruction when nobody was actually obstructed.

Yes to the letter of the law it was the correct decision, but it looked a real poor call as I don't believe there was any real advantage gained by the attackers. By that I mean I don't believe it would have saved the try if the dummy runner wasn't there, as Luke Robinson had read the play and was in no way impeded in my opinion.

The rule needs to be looked at I think.

Totally agree. A modicum of common-sense needs to be applied and that is part of what is missing at the moment. There have to be rules in life, but governments, agencies, authorities and referees can still use a bit of rational thinking; if we applied every rule to the letter every team would be getting penalised for incorrect play-the-balls every tackle, they'd have a field day with scrums and don't get me started on the momentum rule.

RL is an entertainment, first and foremost, not an officiating exam.

There have always been dummy runners but defenders nowadays, instead of trying to defeat the attacking ploy legitimately, run lines that mean they appear to be obstructed.A nightmare for the officials.
Oh for the days you mention of sidesteps, changes of pace and other, more subtle attacking methods. but I fear they have gone forever. This is partially due to coaching and 'game plans' but the real reason is the sheer athleticism of the modern players where props, who used to be big and ponderous and designed for wallowing in mud, can now chase and catch backs. There is no longer the space for the subtle arts and the game, as a spectacle and entertainment, is much the poorer for it where so much today depends on kicking. Personally I would abolish forty twenties altogether.

Surely the whole point of dummy running is to distract the defender and thereby gain an advantage. The varying, often contradictory, suggestions on this thread illustrate how complicated the obstruction rule is to enforce in these circumstances but I would not like to see dummy running outlawed as, done properly, it is a masterclass in timing and precision passing.