'Bully boys’ outlawed?

Press, 18 March 1988, Page 25

'Bully boys’ outlawed?

From TONY VERDON ir London Rugby will be revolu tionised next season | i New Zealand suceeds in t bid to de-power the scruni at next week’s Interf national Rugby Board meeting in London, according to; ! a veteran rugby writer, TerrV O’Connor. The proposed law change, which is being supported by England would make five-yar|d

I I ■ pushover tries illegal. j But O’Connor, writing in the Daily Mail yesterday, said that many would be horrified to see {this macho aspect of the game eliminated. ■ | “Saturday’s , visit to Twickenham by Ireland will stir memories of two years ago when 1 England’s forward power earned a 25-20 win,’’ said O’Connor. { “There were two pushover tries, a penalty try for collapsing, and even

time [try by Ben Davies came directly from forward pressure on Ireland’s line.” O’Connor said; he believed British rugby would benefit from a law which prevented the scrum moving less than two or three yards, with wheeling outlawed. This would force the { forwards to push straight. New Zealand had experimented with this change during the past few seasons and he said

back play had improved as a result. “Scrums there hajve reverted to their original purpose of being a means of restarting play, briginally New Zealand riad introduced these scrum changes to make | rugby safer, because collapsing scrums had been responsible for a spate of neck injuries. ! I ■ I ■ “The game is certain to change if the scrum is no longer ruled by bully boys.”