Bad news for Scotland if this is the case
except when you did: "Trialling something is not a reason". Pretty black and white….
Don't ever remember when the competitiveness was evenly balanced throughout the championship. There were always dominant/weaker teams. Don't remember it being harder to win either. Which makes winning it so much sweeter. Still can't call it this year.
Hopefully sense will prevail. Incidentally this and the other proposed changes (crooked throws to lineout if uncontested, 20 minute RCs, protection of 9 and one stop maul) are all currently on a worldwide trial, so they're not set in stone.
Worldwide trials started at the start of this year.
(Perceived) Problem : Game is too slow. (Suggested) Solution : Let's speed up place kickers
Rationale is that place kicking is eating into playing time with kickers deliberately taking as much time as possible in order to 'kill the clock' when leading their opponents on the scoreboard.
Solution : Stop the clock while the kick takes place. Addresses the rationale behind change.
A stupid solution successfully trialled is still a stupid solution. Are all possible solutions to perceived problems trialled ?.
No, they are not, but I wonder if all Law changes trialled pass into Laws. Do trials ever reveal that the proposed change is a poor solution & a different change is then trialled ?. The fallacy of sunk costs may apply here.
We're still in the trial period, so hopefully this gets fixed. Incidentally, this is why WR say it's being trialled:
60-second conversion limit to align with penalties and improve game pace – This will be managed by a shot clock where possible.
Except of course it doesn't align with penalties because the penalty taker doesn't have to wait for the ball. Or other delays.
They've trailed one rule. Modified it. They're now trialing another rule. If it works, they'll keep it. If it doesn't, they'll tweak or scrap it.
What you're responding too is someone claiming they didn't state the following "a trial isn't a reason to change a rule" when they stated "trialling something is not a reason" which is pretty incredible really.
Some trialled ideas are dropped when they turn out to be a bad idea.
Remember the 'captain's challenge' we had in the Pro14 a few years ago? Dropped when it ended up that it mainly got used for stupid stuff in the last 10 minutes of games.
They could have just added a discretionary 'use it'.
The problem with stopping the clock for kicks would be teams using it as a timeout. Taking 5 minutes to take a kick because the clock is stopped.
It's all relative and sort of tricky to solve for.
60 seconds for a conversion in front of the posts is too much time.
60 seconds for a conversion on the touch line is a much trickier proposition.
Should really be the refs call unless there some sort of positional variances.
I don't really see the problem. The first kick on Sunday was tough for Prendergast and he was close to 0 seconds. But watch Nash after he scores. He touches the ball down and runs away from it.
Players will learn to throw the ball to the outhalfs immediately after touching down and then start celebrating.
Agreed. But since there's no time limit placed on TMO reviews why should there be a time limit placed on kickers trying to score (when a victory or defeat is more in focus) ?.
Shocking that France have only 1 championship in 15 years! That's a serious indictment on the union and the coaches, they have 4 or 5 players who would be in/close to a world 23. Similarly Scotland, though obviously the Scots have nothing like the player resources. But they've had a relatively strong group of players over the last decade and nothing to show for it. France could win it this year of course, though one thing that gives me confidence of a slam this year is that having lost to England I wouldn't put it past them to just hang up their boots of we get a decent start.
Gatland seems to be gone after tonight's WRU meeting. Franco Smith or Simon Easterby being linked to the job
This from Wales Online? Lots of hedging when you read those articles. There's a meeting tomorrow night which might crystallise things, but they'd be mad to drop him in the middle of the 6N, especially since next in line is Rob Howley who would be tainted by association and isn't held in particularly high regard by Welsh fans.
I am 99.99999% sure that neither Easterby or Smith would have the slightest interest in the job.
It's a job with failure built in. Nobody of note would touch it with a bargepole. Anybody else would think long and hard.
Why on earth would Easterby take that job?
Farrell has the Ireland job as long as he wants it tbf, but Easterby pretty clearly the next man up now.
Gatland gone.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/articles/cpwrj451k95o
Came in to post the same.
Honestly, if anyone watched that first half vs Italy then you cannot be surprised regardless if it's in the middle of the tournament or not.
I posted at the time that they looked like an AIL side. It was as bad/worse than anything Italy have produced from my memory.
Who would want that job I have no idea but they need to go and get someone from under the radar who is an up and comer. Nobody who already has standing in the game would want it surely!?
So are they falling back on Rob Howley until they find a successor? doesn't say in that article, but can't see any other short term option for them.
Fully agree. I can't see how they had any other choice but to end the coaching shambles. Not withstanding the issues in Welsh rugby, the way that team was prepped was a disgrace.
Wouldn't be surprised if he offered his resignation. He did so last year after losing to Italy, but was turned down.
He's staying til the end of the 6N or ...?
Will there be a dead cat bounce against us now??
Bookies have 25 points in the difference between the teams.
I wonder would an interim coach come in and straight away make a call to Gareth Anscombe, Cam Winnett and Max Llewellyn?
Going before the Irish game apparently.
TNT sports tweet says after 6N, would prefer that tbh
So disappointed. I really wanted him in place to witness Ireland demolishing his side.
Gatland did everything he possibly could to get the sack. And get his money and run.
Says everything you need to know about him.
It would make sense alright as they'd be falling back on Rob Howley which would just be continuing with the same regime for no real gain. Better to have a clean out after the 6N and start from scratch with a new coaching team. Although it's pretty much rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic imo.
On the other hand, the after the 6N stuff was speculation in earlier reports from the likes of Wales Online. So there may not be anything to it.
BBC is saying he's going immediately
