Chris Rattue: Kick 'conversion chargers' out of rugby

Dan Carter of the All Blacks kicks for goal during The Rugby Championship match against the Australia Wallabies. Photo / Getty Images.

Some rules are made to be broken. Others are made to be kicked out.

Dan Carter was cleverly targeted by Australia in an unusual way in Sydney, when speedy Wallabies aggressively charged at his sideline conversion attempts. Good on the Aussies for using everything at their disposal - the tactic revealed an admirable desperation and eye for detail, and Carter missed both kicks.

The rugby rule book decrees that chargers can only start to move when the kicker begins the approach to kick or starts to kick. This is a moment open to interpretation especially as modern day kickers have an array of unusual pre-kick routines which make it difficult to pinpoint when the run-up starts. This judgement becomes even more subjective when you look at videos of famous charge down moments.

Referees have enough to worry about, without dealing with that unnecessary pressure.

And there is no evidence that referees, their assistants and TMOs are working together to ensure the charge down attempts are being done legally. In other words, there is a rather lax, anything goes old-school attitude to this part of the game which, as Sydney showed, can have a huge impact on major test matches.

But the major point is this: goalkicking is an incredibly difficult art that has been honed to near perfection by a select few players. Why should their skill be put to the sword by opponents who get a free run at them? Rugby might consider kicking the charge down out, and concentrate instead on something relevant like rules and attitudes which get kickers to take less time to complete their routines.

A brief history of famous footy charge down moments:

1) All Black Aaron Cruden v Ireland, Dublin 2013.

After the amazing late All Blacks try to draw level with Ireland, Cruden twitches his right leg as he prepares his attempt for the winning conversion and a couple of Irish players charge early. Cruden misses, gets another shot at glory, and nails the goal to complete the All Blacks perfect 14 - 0 season. Does a twitch rate as beginning the approach, and was the referee really keeping an eye on this situation or just guessing. Were Ireland robbed of the draw perhaps?

2) All Black Andrew Mehrtens v Australia, Sydney 1998.

Stephen Larkham got a flyer against Mehrtens, as he lined up the conversion of a Christian Cullen try just to the right of the posts. Larkham got two strong hands on the kick in a moment many believed turned the game Australia's way.

3) Wallaby James O'Connor, v Barbarians, London 2011.

A classic. Ireland's Stringer gets such a massive jump that he is able to scoop the ball up from the tee as O'Connor watches on from the end of his run-up. Barbarian matches are rugby fun days and O'Connor took the incident well, but he had made no discernible move towards the ball yet the referee allowed Stringer's steal. The acid test: would anyone like to see a World Cup final decided this way?

4) Stormers Bryan Habana v Hurricanes, Palmerston North 2013.

The flying Habana gets to the Beauden Barrett kick and keeps on running up the tunnel on halftime. It was a moment which swung the game the visitors' way.

5) Wigan's Anthony Gelling v Brisbane Broncos, Wigan 2015.

Charge downs are illegal in league, but that didn't stop Gelling batting away Corey Parker's golden point penalty attempt. Gelling was sin binned, and Parker landed the next goal attempt. But wait, there's more. Wigan coach Shaun Wane labelled Gelling "a weirdo."

"If there's one person going to do that, it's going to be him. He does the weirdest things in training...I had a feeling something like that was going to happen."