English rugby tweaks tackle rule

Tacklers now have less leeway than earlier in the season

Rugby chiefs in England have agreed to change the refereeing of tackle situations in the hope of improving the entertainment in the Premiership.

With the number of tries falling by 38% to less than three per match, officials have been told to make tacklers roll away from tackled players.

"If teams want to play they should find more space," said Rugby Football Union director of elite rugby Rob Andrew.

Last weekend, the first under the new directive, saw an increase in tries.

"To the credit of the clubs that message seems to have reached the players and last weekend's games started to show some of that in action," added Andrew.

The new directive, which is a clarification of the existing law, was issued after a meeting between Premier Rugby, which represents the 12 Guinness Premiership clubs, and the Rugby Football Union, which governs the game in England.

There have been concerns since the start of the season that the balance has been weighted too far in favour of the defending side, leading to teams playing in a conservative fashion and frequently kick away possession.

There was a consensus around that action was needed Premier Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty

Last weekend was the first since the directive was issued and the Premiership duly saw more tries - 3.5 per game - with the previously toothless Saracens, who had managed only 16 in 16 games, running in seven in their 58-15 win over Newcastle.

A number of factors, including harder grounds and dry weather, may have contributed to the higher try count, but the authorities are convinced the move was the right one.

Mark McCafferty, chief executive of Premier Rugby, said: "There was a determination that we couldn't let things go on as they were.

"We met with the RFU on 24 February and the number one item on our agenda was the quality of rugby being played.

"It was a significant concern. There was a consensus around that action was needed.

"Hopefully it was quite a seminal moment in saying 'for the good of the game, we can't have the premier club competition churning out rugby that was, quite rightly, receiving a poor commentary in the opening months of the season'.

"We will look at it in the end of season review and we are planning a game conference in July to look at what we have learned from it and what should be carried into next season."

Andrew echoed McCafferty's views, saying it had been "a very positive meeting" which included all the Premiership bosses.

"We had a working session with all our referees to ensure that space is created at the breakdown and that tacklers release the tackled player and roll away immediately within the existing laws," added Andrew.

Despite the amount of negative rugby on show in the Premiership this season, the indifferent form of the national side, and the on-going recession, the English top flight appears to be in good shape as far as attendances go.

Saracens have attracted in excess of 40,000 fans to Wembley on three occasions while 76,000 flocked to Twickenham on 27 December for Harlequins v Wasps.

Those bumper crowds helped boost the average Premiership crowd to 13,608, up from last season's 11,414.

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