Sharp analysis and good from Gus Pichot. As a longstanding rugby fan, and England supporter, and someone who has travelled extensively in South America, particularly Argentina, I think he has much to contribute to rugby around the world. I hope he is elected and listened to. He brings a new - disruptive - perspective.
If he really wanted to contribute to world rugby why didn't he promote the game in the americas ie forming an american championship including Argentina USA Canada Uruaguay Paraguay etc but no he grovelled his way into the rugby championship wanting to eat from top table and bugger the rest of you in north and south america.
As an amateur player i agree the rules could and should be somewhat simplified, while not becoming league. Reffs at the lower level have a real issue with administerin the laws and it brings the game almost in to disrepute
I agree with his idea to change the narrative around rugby laws. We have too many laws that are basically just the same. Tackling the scrum half, entering the mall incorrectly, not rolling away, hands on the ball in the rook, these are all just "offside". Stop giving it 10 different names. It's just offside.
I like what he's saying in general about simplifying the game but he needs to say some of the changes he is referring to. Just any examples that would simplify the game
What I don’t get with guys like Pichot who want to make rugby more exciting and to get more 13 year olds to tune in is that they started playing rugby and fell in love with it at a young age themselves and it was boring then. Now Rugby union is boring and not exciting and they want to introduce these new rules for rugby union to be more like rugby league. Go and watch Rugby league then and leave us traditionists alone.
I think its possible to simplify the game drastically without losing its traditional core - ie. Scrums, lineouts, rucks, mauls and I think that’s what Pichot is pursuing.
The rules were much simpler back then and that made it much more engaging, both for the players and the fans. At the local level it was not boring. What made it boring on the international level was the disparity between the top tier teams and the rest. Argentina can arguably be singled out as the country where rugby grew the most in the last 30 years or so, but it was a tooth-and-nail uphill fight against the "traditionalists" who always want to solidify the status quo. In turn, Argentina's growth inspired other countries, like Portugal, Spain, Canada, Uruguay, and Chile to put in the effort. But as the rules got more and more complicated, they were set back. To be clear, I'm not against rules that are meant to ensure players' safety. Those are the only ones that should not be touched.
Not even one word spoken about the biggest attraction of the sport, the physicality and brutality - the violence that attracts viewers. I don’t under why Rugby runs away from this.
Sorry, but that's not what attracts fans. I loathe it. What I loved about the game was flair, skill, team cohesion, not 130 kg packs of meat and bones clashing into each other. If that's your thing, go watch boxing or wrestling. People beating the crap out of each other is Neanderthal stuff. It doesn't even take much of an IQ, not to mention that it's plain freaking dangerous. And unfortunately, Rugby is not running away from it enough. I don't fancy seeing 50-year old former players babbling like idiots due to early dementia. What is wrong with you? As an example, football is the most popular sport on the planet and it's not even half as violent as rugby, and it's becoming even less so. So sorry, but your argument doesn't hold water. People like to watch other people doing things that not many can do. Any 300-pound gorilla can ram into another gorilla of equal size. That's all it takes.
Sharp analysis and good from Gus Pichot. As a longstanding rugby fan, and England supporter, and someone who has travelled extensively in South America, particularly Argentina, I think he has much to contribute to rugby around the world. I hope he is elected and listened to. He brings a new - disruptive - perspective.
If he really wanted to contribute to world rugby why didn't he promote the game in the americas ie forming an american championship including Argentina USA Canada Uruaguay Paraguay etc but no he grovelled his way into the rugby championship wanting to eat from top table and bugger the rest of you in north and south america.
What a smart man make the rules simple so everyone knows the rules players and spectators.
Good man, Gus. Fantastic player, particularly with his half-back partner in 2007 RWC Hernandez
As an amateur player i agree the rules could and should be somewhat simplified, while not becoming league. Reffs at the lower level have a real issue with administerin the laws and it brings the game almost in to disrepute
I agree with his idea to change the narrative around rugby laws.
We have too many laws that are basically just the same. Tackling the scrum half, entering the mall incorrectly, not rolling away, hands on the ball in the rook, these are all just "offside". Stop giving it 10 different names. It's just offside.
But that really wouldn't change anything. It's just calling the same rules by another name.
Interesting to heard from someone outside the normal heads. Would be interesting to heard from Portugal and spain to see whats going on
I like what he's saying in general about simplifying the game but he needs to say some of the changes he is referring to. Just any examples that would simplify the game
What I don’t get with guys like Pichot who want to make rugby more exciting and to get more 13 year olds to tune in is that they started playing rugby and fell in love with it at a young age themselves and it was boring then. Now Rugby union is boring and not exciting and they want to introduce these new rules for rugby union to be more like rugby league. Go and watch Rugby league then and leave us traditionists alone.
I think its possible to simplify the game drastically without losing its traditional core - ie. Scrums, lineouts, rucks, mauls and I think that’s what Pichot is pursuing.
The rules were much simpler back then and that made it much more engaging, both for the players and the fans. At the local level it was not boring. What made it boring on the international level was the disparity between the top tier teams and the rest. Argentina can arguably be singled out as the country where rugby grew the most in the last 30 years or so, but it was a tooth-and-nail uphill fight against the "traditionalists" who always want to solidify the status quo. In turn, Argentina's growth inspired other countries, like Portugal, Spain, Canada, Uruguay, and Chile to put in the effort. But as the rules got more and more complicated, they were set back.
To be clear, I'm not against rules that are meant to ensure players' safety. Those are the only ones that should not be touched.
...good sense...
Not even one word spoken about the biggest attraction of the sport, the physicality and brutality - the violence that attracts viewers. I don’t under why Rugby runs away from this.
Sorry, but that's not what attracts fans. I loathe it. What I loved about the game was flair, skill, team cohesion, not 130 kg packs of meat and bones clashing into each other. If that's your thing, go watch boxing or wrestling. People beating the crap out of each other is Neanderthal stuff. It doesn't even take much of an IQ, not to mention that it's plain freaking dangerous. And unfortunately, Rugby is not running away from it enough. I don't fancy seeing 50-year old former players babbling like idiots due to early dementia. What is wrong with you?
As an example, football is the most popular sport on the planet and it's not even half as violent as rugby, and it's becoming even less so. So sorry, but your argument doesn't hold water. People like to watch other people doing things that not many can do. Any 300-pound gorilla can ram into another gorilla of equal size. That's all it takes.
It's not the rules people don't like, it's the culture. It's a middle class influencer day out and posh boy club sport and it will always be that way.
Nonsense. There's a big difference between middle class and posh.
Pichot wants Union became League, cause Union it`s boring.......so to make the game more simple, so Union will be as boring as League..
Yes. it's probably a fairer game. which is appealing to teams who are always getting screwed by refs