Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
Pay just
$10
$2
per week
See all offers
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
Or
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Paul Lewis: Why the 'Richie Rule' must be stopped

Paul Lewis
By Paul Lewis
Contributing Sports Writer·Herald online·
27 Aug, 2016 12:28 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
'He's well respected'
The All Blacks on Quade Cooper ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • subtitles settings, opens subtitles settings dialog
    • subtitles off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      3
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      The All Blacks on Quade Cooper
      NOW PLAYING • 'He's well respected'
      The All Blacks on Quade Cooper ...
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Let's hope what might be called the 'Richie Rule' - the new breakdown laws being trialled at Mitre 10 Cup level - never go any further because they may spell the end of one of the great strengths of New Zealand rugby.

      The trial rules (it must be acknowledged it is early days; coaches and players may not yet be quite to grips with things) could signal the demise of the ball-burgling No 7, openside flanker - the greatest exponent of whom has been Richie McCaw. The changes make such a difference more than one commentator has been moved to wonder whether McCaw, had these rules been in force when he was on the way up, would even have made it into the All Blacks, let alone play 148 tests.

      The cold, hard reality is that the ball-stealing No 7 - a position the All Blacks have perfected ahead of any other country with the likes of McCaw, Josh Kronfeld, Michael Jones, Jock Hobbs and Graeme Mourie, among others - would be extinct under these rules.

      Rugby's stifling, boneheaded laws governing the God-awful breakdown and offside laws do need to be changed. Just not this way. Under them, a breakdown is deemed to be formed when only one attacking player is over the tackled ball on the ground. From that moment, no player can touch the ball with their hands.

      So the only opportunity for a McCaw-like turnover is for a defending player to get to the breakdown before the first attacker arrives. The tackler can't bound to his feet and grab the ball from the tackled player; he must now retreat. However, his team-mates can drive in and roll over the top of the tackled player, winning the ball that way.

      Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

      All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

      Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
      Pay just
      $10
      $2
      per week
      See all offers
      Already a subscriber? Sign in here
      Or
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      The intention is to rid the game of the profusion of penalties accruing from confusion at ruck and maul and associated ills like entering from the side. With the no-hands rule, the lawmakers are trying to reinvigorate the lost, much-lamented art of rucking, hoping players arriving in mass will steamroll over the ball to win possession. Player safety is another consideration, reducing the big collisions in the only part of the game a hallowed rugby rule (thou shalt not tackle a man without the ball) is ignored: the clean-out.

      So here's the evidence so far after watching, admittedly, only a few Mitre 10 matches.

      Rucking isn't really happening. Most teams so far are not contesting at the breakdown or minimally so, preferring to fan out across the field and use defensive pressure to stimulate mistakes from the attacking side.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      This means a fast and open game but with three downsides: a lot of mistakes; turnover skill has been replaced by errors; and the game looks increasingly like rugby league.

      Rugby has always incorporated a battle for possession at scrum, lineout and breakdown/ruck. The latter now looks in danger. It is one of the great differentiating factors from other codes, the ability to wrest possession from the other side by skill as well as physical presence.

      Meanwhile, in what seems a reaction to the loss of this physical exchange, the odious rolling maul is becoming more common, with its inexplicably permitted twin sins of offside and obstruction mocking the inability of the defending side to stop it legally.

      In the Otago v Wellington game on Thursday night, there was not a single turnover based on skill. On the rare occasion a pack tried to drive over the ball, it was either messy, fumbled or someone kicked through. There were fewer penalties, but they were just as indecipherable. Players are still being penalised for leaving their feet or other, familiar misdemeanours. There were precious few genuine turnovers in Friday's Auckland-Northland clash, either.

      Discover more

      New Zealand

      The fallen All Black: 'One week at a time'

      25 Aug 03:02 AM
      Sport|rugby

      Spygate: The moment attitudes changed across rugby

      26 Aug 05:00 PM
      New Zealand

      Big gusts cause damage, power outages

      26 Aug 06:46 PM
      All Blacks

      Marshall: How the Wallabies can stand a chance

      26 Aug 07:27 PM

      The only way a ball-grubber like McCaw can use anticipation, endurance, body position and ability to resist attempts to knock him off the ball are the rare times they can get there before a single opponent arrives.

      Another option is for the No 7 to be more of a "seagull", making a few tackles but hovering until a ball-snatching opportunity arises. The reality, however, is the modern game is too intense for a flock of seagulls. The change will persuade many coaches they don't need a "fetcher", preferring instead a power forward of more use on attack and/or counter-rucking.

      Proof? On Friday night, Auckland chose muscular No 8 Akira Ioane as a No 7.

      The changes, if they are to be ratified at all, won't come in until 2017. But there is a danger Northern Hemisphere lawmakers will see an advantage in outlawing a facet of the game at which their teams have nearly always come second. The 1977 Lions, for example, had the All Black pack stuffed, except for loose forwards Mourie, Ian Kirkpatrick and Laurie Knight.

      It is far from the only series All Black loosies have won - and long may they be allowed to do so.

      Save
        Share this article

      Latest from Sport

      Auckland FC

      City of Sail: Auckland FC signs Oli Sail as battle for goalkeeping jersey heats up

      Premium
      OpinionBen Francis

      Ben Francis: 5 questions as Warriors return to winners' circle

      All Blacks

      When six tries aren't enough – why All Blacks' attack is under pressure


      Sponsored

      Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Recommended for you

      'Best of the best': Craggy Range and chef shine at awards
      Hawkes Bay Today

      'Best of the best': Craggy Range and chef shine at awards

      'The unstoppable move south': Ex-TVNZ host Peter Williams, top screen CEO on the South Island's lure
      New Zealand

      'The unstoppable move south': Ex-TVNZ host Peter Williams, top screen CEO on the South Island's lure

      Bus collides with two cars outside high school
      New Zealand

      Bus collides with two cars outside high school

      'Toxic and volatile relationship' preceded fatal beating, Crown alleges at murder trial
      Crime

      'Toxic and volatile relationship' preceded fatal beating, Crown alleges at murder trial

      Christopher Luxon says Govt will ‘get to the bottom’ of Airways outage
      Politics

      Christopher Luxon says Govt will ‘get to the bottom’ of Airways outage

      BoP teachers strike over Govt pay offer
      Bay of Plenty Times

      BoP teachers strike over Govt pay offer



      Latest from Sport

      City of Sail: Auckland FC signs Oli Sail as battle for goalkeeping jersey heats up
      Auckland FC

      City of Sail: Auckland FC signs Oli Sail as battle for goalkeeping jersey heats up

      Shot-stopper makes move in bid to reclaim All Whites No 1 spot for World Cup.

      18 Aug 06:53 AM
      Premium
      Premium
      Ben Francis: 5 questions as Warriors return to winners' circle
      OpinionBen Francis

      Ben Francis: 5 questions as Warriors return to winners' circle

      18 Aug 06:00 AM
      When six tries aren't enough – why All Blacks' attack is under pressure
      All Blacks

      When six tries aren't enough – why All Blacks' attack is under pressure

      18 Aug 04:00 AM


      Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet
      Sponsored

      Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

      10 Aug 09:12 PM

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

      All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

      Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
      Pay just
      $10
      $2
      per week
      See all offers
      Already a subscriber? Sign in here
      Or
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search