Napoléon Bonaparte lies in splendour at Les Invalides, on the left bank of the river Seine in Paris. The absolute, marbled magnificence of his tomb is breathtaking, far beyond the written word.
Extraordinarily, his Civil Code, now two centuries old, endures to this day. The judicial system, the central bank, the baccalauréate exam in secondary schools, and so much more, were made possible by Napoléon’s unparalleled visionary foresight. A legacy of enormous good.
Former international Mathieu Raynal now leads French refereeing. He recently announced that professional rugby in France is determined to ensure a straight throw-in to the scrum. Yes, you read that correctly – it is a monumental decision.
It is not, of course, in quite the same bracket as the Emperor’s edicts, and its endurance will be tested. However, it is a bold, welcome initiative, especially when no other Union has shown even a jot of interest. Success will not be easy; there are a lot of moving parts in the complexity of this particular Gordian knot, and it will not be easy to unravel.
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Everybody is on board. Particularly, and crucially, La League Nationale de Rugby, which represents all professional clubs, inclusive of the Top 14, and the ProD2 second division. In short, all the top-brass stakeholders approve - that’s quite something.
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Much involved is France’s scrum coach, William Servat, who has bucketloads of experience, with 49 caps for Les Bleus. With Toulouse he won the Bouclier de Brennus a quite ridiculous five times, but managed only a meagre three European Cups.
Servat will know well that it’s not simply about the scrum-half delivering a straight ball. The formation, the mechanics, of the scrum, must also change to ensure the hooker can strike safely. Props will have to support their own body weight, and do what their job title suggests on the tin.
It is a solo run by France, which begs the concerning question of what will happen when the Autumn internationals, Europe, and the Six Nations come around. Is it wise for players to swap continuously between two very different scrum set-ups? The FFR can rightly claim they are simply applying the laws correctly, which should take precedence over an officiating approach which ignores them. Although the latter has become common practice, it’s a very telling point. Across the globe this will be watched with enormous interest.
The FFR, never in favour of the bunker 20-minute red card, have now dumped it. Referees will still call foul play, using the “old” criteria. Also, a new 20-minute orange card will be introduced in France, for offences judged more serious than yellow, but falling short of red. It is a further example of how split the game has become on the very big issues.
World Rugby’s lineout law trial, which requires a contesting jump before a crooked throw is called by the referee, has opened Pandora’s box. Players dawdle to formation, they’ve 30 seconds to do so, but that’s not supposed to be compulsory. Then we get all sorts of helter-skelter running around. Worse, we see the ball being chucked in crooked, at speed, before the opposition can even think of contesting. It’s inequitable shambolic nonsense, impossible to officiate. “Innovation,” we hear, but, in reality, it’s “ruination”. Get rid of.
In a recent chat with Keith Wood, the former Ireland captain and Lion proposed a simple solution. All eight forwards must be involved; the thrower, obviously, then the remaining seven must all be in the lineout. It should not be discounted quickly; it comes with the added potential of creating more midfield space.
Something really must be done, and quickly. The game is teetering on the precipice of losing its structure, vital to how rugby union is played. The heart and soul of the game used to be the contests for possession. As such, the scrum has long gone (subject to French efforts), and the lineout is on its way. The contest-denying officiating of the breakdown down south is spreading virus-like to the north. In the search for non-stop continuity, disorder is bulldozing the structure.
However, something positive is stirring. All professional officials have been reminded by World Rugby that the tackle-ruck (the breakdown) laws must be refereed. It’s been raised here before, and if everybody gets on board it will undoubtedly be very positive. The proviso is that it’s delivered in all competitions, on both sides of the equator.
Here’s what we should expect, when the Rugby Championship starts on Saturday. Side-entry into the breakdown has been underlined and emphasised in block capitals - it must be sanctioned. That’s the first, key consideration. Then, players arriving correctly - from onside, from the direction of their own try line - will be subject to more stringent officiating of what’s already in the book of words.
It is outlawed for supporting players to position themselves past, or over, the tackled ball carrier, spreading themselves out, hands on the ground, not holding their own body weight, blocking off any chance of a contest. “Anchoring,” a new word to put into our rugby lexicon, confirms that players may grasp their tackled team-mate, provided they control their weight.
Essentially, they must also leave enough space for opponents to attempt a clear-out, or to counter ruck. It is very different from a lot of what we’ve seen lately, with too many referees not bothering about these laws. The difference in Ben O’Keefe’s seemingly “anything goes” policy, compared to Nika Amashukeli and Andrea Piardi in the Lions tests, was startling.
The law really needed to be reinforced. It now requires referees to be strong, to be consistent, to pull together. Same as the French scrum, it’s the only way to get this virtuous reminder over the line.
