They made the final last time, where they were soundly beaten by South Africa. There are still some old-fashioned, pacy lightweights among the backs: Italy’s Ange Capuozzo, for example.Īverage player weights at men’s Rugby World Cups since 1991 show a rapid increase in the mid 90s, plateauing after 2010Įngland invented rugby, so they must be one of the favourites? Not quite. There is a saying that rugby used to be a game of evasion, whereas now it’s a game of collision. The new era of professionalism ushered in a strength and conditioning arms race, allied to improvements in nutrition and sports science, that has seen the average player turn into a finely tuned – and very large – athlete. ![]() Why are the players so massive? Until 1995 rugby union was an amateur sport: the forwards tended to be naturally large specimens, while the backs were generally smaller and much faster. A referee can now issue a yellow card and ask for the offence to be reviewed by the “foul play review officer”, who may upgrade to a red. Another tweak is the bunker review system for yellow and red cards. The clock will be visible on stadium screens and on TV. ![]() Procedural changes for this World Cup include a shot-clock for kickers: 90sec for conversions, 60sec for penalty kicks. It can be controversial, but the ability to hear officials discuss their decision-making process makes it a more viewer-friendly experience than football’s dreaded VAR. Just mumble something about the “dark arts” and have another sip of beer.ĭo they have VAR? The TMO (television match official) is a longstanding facet of the professional game. Therefore, if you don’t understand what’s going on, it’s nothing to worry about. ![]() Sometimes the referee will blow their whistle and award a penalty to one side or the other, and the experts will have little idea why. Supremacy at scrums allows the team’s backs – scrum-halves, fly-halves, centres and wings – space and time to play. Scrums are to do with project management, right? No, the scrum is a complex affair involving eight players from either side, but boils down to which team can shove hardest.
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