Bull-baiting and ELVs again

In case you didn't see the match, nor read a report, I watched, with glee, the Crusaders v the Bulls match yesterday. You could describe it as a game of 3 parts really.

For 30 minutes, the Crusaders were resolute (but sometimes foolish) in defence, and lousy in attack - as a team they looked like they'd forgotten how to handle the ball, although all the big names still performed. Scoreline 12-0 Bulls, and looking good for it, although the Crusaders had denied them at least 2 tries thanks to good defence. Then the Crusaders woke up, and for 45 minutes played high-speed, intelligent, attacking rugby, and it was 49-12. In the last 5 minutes the Bulls got a lucky try, courtesy of a kick that even the South African commentators described as poor, and an even worse attempt to dot it down safely by Hamilton. We'll be kind and say after 75 minutes at altitidue he was tired, because he is a better player than that. It wasn't even a consolation as McDonald knifed through and scored another irresistible try for the Crusaders. When was the last time the Bulls gave up 50+ points at home I wonder?

In terms of the ELVs, this was the sort of game they were meant to make. The Bulls weren't penalised that much, but there were a few free kicks that would have been penalties. As free kicks, they were scrummed or run, and turned into tries. Under the old rules, the score would have been closer, still rather one sided, but probably more like 30-19 than 54-19. Except for the Bulls fans it made for an attractive, fast, entertaining match. Result for the ELVs I think.

I also heard Stuart Barnes moaning about the ELVs recently. His complaint was that rugby is a game that isn't only about speed, it is sometimes about structure. You could just hear the old saws about "keeping the scoreboard ticking over" waiting to spill from his lips. Let me say I think some of his complaints may have merit: in a game where people choose to play negatively they may choose to give away free kicks even more freely than they currently choose to give away penalties rather than tries. But, his chosen ground for complaint was a little foolish - this is the man that advocates, regularly, harsher penalties for those who slow the ball down, because fast ball makes for more attractive rugby. He may disagree with how the IRB are trying to achieve this, but moaning that it is making a faster game is silly.

Whilst we're on the subject of giving away free kicks, there was a pair of incidents around 25 minutes that might be a good way forward. In very quick succession (within 2 minutes and one move) the Bulls twice infringed within 5m of their own line, playing the ball off the feet. Free kick offence these days. For the second one, the referee decided to upgrade to a penalty for foul play (repeated offences). Even the most cynical Bulls hater would say it was too early for a yellow card, but you can bet the next time the tackle evolved into a ruck the Bulls players were rather more careful. It served its point admirably. If this becomes the standard tactic of referees, I think it will lay another of Barnes' moans to rest - if you start playing cynically you will be penalised and sin-binned still: it's not a smart move to keep doing it, even if it's not a penalty offence first time.