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Cape Town - An Australian advertising guru has suggested five rule changes which he believes would revolutionise rugby and attract more fans to the sport.
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In a column on the Sydney Morning Herald website, 78-year-old John Singleton offered the radical proposals that would completely change the way the game is currently played.
1. One point for a penalty goal but three points for a goal kicked as a result of a penalty for foul play.
2. Conversions and drop goals would be worth two points and tries seven points.
3. Only nine technical reasons why penalties can be awarded for breaches of scrums, lineouts, rucks and mauls, thus eliminating all those archaic rules produced by lawyers who like to sit around and debate how many angels can sit on the point of a pin.
4. Kicking out on the full in general play would be outlawed.
5. A team could have only five phases of the ball to gain ground. If not, it sacrifices possession. If it makes ‘forward progress’, it holds the ball indefinitely.
Singleton also questioned naming teams without any reference to their geographical location.
"Are the Lions, Bulls, Highlanders and Chiefs, South African or New Zealand teams?" he wondered. If you are watching the Stormers versus the Hurricanes, will it be on shown on a weather map?
