The Sunday Times - UK (2022-05-22)

The Sunday Times May 22, 2022 15

‘World Rugby had a

great chance to

banish the

earpieces. They did

not. Shame on those

who voted against’

‘If we are still to

regard Test rugby

as special, I would

not go above ten

matches per year.

But that cause is

long lost’

Smith, the

IRP’s head of

player welfare,

in action for

the All Blacks

at the 2015

World Cup in

Cardiff

the defensive systems are no longer

sure of what comes next. Joe Schmidt

lost the plot in Ireland when the

entire game was turned into a giant

game of chess. As Garry Kasparov

once retorted to a journalist who

quizzed him as to the number of

plays he could read in advance, look

too far ahead and there’s the danger

of missing what’s in front of your

nose.

In rugby this translates to looking

up, identifying the space and

possessing the attributes to sprint the

length of the field against Toulon.

England, largely due to the rigidity of

their recent years, need someone

with such bravery and skill to fix their

broken-field game.

Jones witnessed Arundell’s

outstanding efforts as an impact

player against Wasps; he sat through

a first half brimming with potential

but a second half that fell away

against Worcester Warriors.

Yesterday he was seated in Bath,

patiently waiting for the full back to

You went so far; you took so long.

But then why did you not carry on

and finish the job? That is the

question for World Rugby in the

week it finally reacted to pitch

invasions and other abuses.

Mark Harrington, the World

Rugby chief player welfare officer,

said, as it announced a welcome set

of laws to be trialled: “We’re taking

concrete action to improve the flow

of matches. We’ve received

feedback that the number of people

who aren’t players interrupting the

flow of the game was getting out of

hand. This will [also] be the first

time teams on the field of play

could be sanctioned due to the

actions of those not directly

involved in the contest.”

It wants to prevent “any action

that either interferes with play or is

against the values of the sport”.

Wonderful. At least it has broken

the grip of doctors from hell and

other self-important time-wasters.

From now on, neither the official

team doctors nor anyone else in the

technical area “can field or touch

the ball when it is live in play

(sanction: penalty kick)”.

So it seems we can now look

forward to that glorious moment

when a bloke wearing a stethoscope

disappears down the tunnel for a

red card second offence in catching

the ball. Seriously, an English

doctor was recently sanctioned for

improper behaviour by the referee,

so good on World Rugby for

cracking down and guiding them

back to the medical profession.

Gloriously, too, the moves will

now prevent the self-important

hordes running on after every

break in play with water

bottles. World Rugby

has done “research into

player hydration needs”

and found “an

increasing disruption to

play caused by

multiple water

carriers entering

the field of play

every time there is a

stoppage”.

Only two

dedicated water

carriers (hundreds

face the axe) will be

allowed and they can

only appear twice per

half and only then

when the ball is dead

and only when they

have been allowed

on by the referees.

Yet why stop

there? We

understand that

there was strong support on the

World Rugby panel for preventing

supernumeraries running on to the

field wearing communications

equipment. They had a great

chance to banish the earpieces.

They did not. Shame on those who

voted against.

The fact is that the so-called

water carriers are lackeys of the

head coach, carrying his

instructions for the players.

The new measures also state that

the water carriers “cannot be the

director of rugby or the head

coach”. Rassie Erasmus, the

director of rugby in South Africa,

has a law all to himself. The pure

idiocy of a highly rated and

previously respected coach rushing

round the field during the South

Africa v Lions series issuing orders

all around, reduced Erasmus to a

pantomime figure.

But World Rugby, what else did

you miss? Why have you not

banned the hordes of bellowing

players from invading the dead-ball

area to congratulate their own

team. Why have you not stopped

are maybe talking about an Asian

Pacific and an Americas Conference,

which would look after eight

countries that currently don’t have a

competition and that will be a huge

step forward.

“And then they’re talking about

using teams from Rugby Europe and

from the African Cup to make up 12

which would give them all a regular

schedule through July. There is an

awful lot of work to do logistics-wise

and we can’t fly them around the

world, but at least they are not

precious about playing games at

home.” As ever, it is detail that the

world game has still not laid down.

Smith enjoyed six years in France

after signing for Pau after the 2015

World Cup. He and his family loved

their time there, and only moved

back to New Zealand in the paralysis

of Covid. “We’d still be there now if

not for the difficulties of being away

from family,” he said. “But we love

the place and we have some really

good friends there. We would have

happily stayed there for a few more

years.”

And his career regrets? Surely, he’s

only had a few? “I’m sure if I look

back I’ll think of the finals that I lost

and the ones I wish I hadn’t lost, but I

have been incredibly fortunate, I was

part of a great team and we achieved

some great things,” he said.

“But I do enjoy giving back to the

game that’s given me so much. It’s got

a few challenges at the moment, with

concussions and player workload but

it is a great game, I want other kids to

enjoy playing and that feeling is

getting lost a little bit at the moment.”

You profoundly wish that more

players of Smith’s status and vintage

— a McCaw, an O’Driscoll, a Kearns —

were governing the game, rather

than simply advising.

Yesterday at Atletico Madrid’s

stadium, the Wanda Metropolitano,

Smith played for the Classic All

Blacks against Spain. “We agreed to

play the game two years ago in

Covid, when I was 38,” he said.

“Now I’m 40 so it’s a little bit more

concerning. But we are just a group

of guys who haven’t seen each other

for three or four years, and we’re

having a good time, it’s a great

connection and that is what the sport

offers. I’ve had my time playing and

it’s time for another role.”

enter the fray as well as watching his

contentious Bath selections. Arundell

now knows he is a contender. That

changes everything. The freedom of

his game which so impresses Jones is

tested by the very presence of the

England head coach. Jones, just by

taking a seat, multiplies the pressure.

The days of running rings around

Scotland and all the other under-20

teams are over. In an England squad

and into the running for a trip to

Australia. Yet Declan Kidney, the

London Irish director of rugby, opted

for Tom Parton, his very fine, regular

full back. How can Arundell be good

enough for England but not for

London Irish? The answer lies in the

priorities of the respective coaches.

Kidney wanted to win at Bath. Jones

wants to win a World Cup. To do that

he needs to unearth someone who

thrives beyond the structure.

Arundell may be that man. Jones is

right to elevate him, even if it is way

beyond his readiness. He’s a gamble

worth taking to Australia.

The Women’s Allianz Premier 15s
playoff semi-finals take place
today with Saracens facing
Harlequins (2pm) and Exeter
Chiefs meeting Bristol Bears
(4..15pm). Sarries finished the
regular season top of the table by
11 points, winning 16 of their 18
matches. The Chiefs beat Bristol
29-26 in the final round of the
league season.
The final will be held at
Sixways, Worcester on June 3.
Saracens and Quins have
contested the past three finals to
date with Saracens winning
twice, though Quins won 25-17
win at Kingsholm last year. All
matches are live on BT Sport.

SEMI-FINALS FOR

WOMEN’S PREMIER 15S

Keeping medics off

pitch is start but not

clean-up game needs

Stephen Jones

players from loud and concerted

appealing for penalties with arms

upheld? Is that not totally against

the values?

What of “improving the flow” of

play? How could it not have dealt

with the preposterous process at

the lineout when the team throwing

the ball in walks 20 metres away

from the lineout for a meeting, and

often spends ages in conflab? Why

should the lineout leader not think

on his feet and make the call as

they arrive at the throw-in point?

One of the new measures says

that “no one should approach,

address or aim comments at the

match official save for medics in

respect of the treatment of the

player. Should this happen, the

sanction will be a penalty kick.”

How easy would it have been to

extend that measure to players

active on the field? The amount

of superfluous blathering is

ridiculous.

The governing body has

reclaimed the touchlines from

the ranters, and cut down on

incursions. Good for it for

tidying up. No longer can

teams choose a doctor

for his or her ball

skills. But they

missed the

chance to clean

up the whole

mess.

No longer

will head

coaches be

able to

be water

carriers

AGENDA SETTER

Last week’s column by Stephen

Jones caught the attention of

two-times World Cup winner

Conrad Smith, prompting him

to get in touch with our rugby

correspondent

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