KEY POINTS:
Graham Henry's attack on the French for their timewasting tactics prompted thoughts about similar skulduggery which has littered rugby, and the fate of the new laws designed to speed up the game.
For as long as the game has used an oval ball, gamesmanship with a capital G has been part of it, with a subsection under T for timewasting.
All levels of the sport learned the art. Feigned injuries, slow restarts, hoofing the only ball into the trees or down the gully gained some respite at school.
Later on, as Herald columnist John Drake recalled from his days at the University club, coach Graham Henry advised his troops to use a variety of negative plays to unsettle superior opponents.
And remember Carlos Spencer repeatedly kicking the ball dead against Canterbury to force them into 22 restarts.
The tactic wasted time, but it was effective and Auckland won the Ranfurly Shield.
Teams do what they have to do. They have to play at their own tempo, use their strengths and reduce those of their opponents. It is a game of margins, you play to the limits, you play the referee as hard as you can.
France had to slow the Eden Park test to counter the All Blacks' attacking intent.
The men in black have been masters since the days of the wing forward at slowing down opposition ball.
Gamesmanship could include that horrible three-man scrum the All Blacks used, or the way an incredulous Mark Cooksley was told he was injured at halftime in the 1993 game against the Lions.
Kosher? Not really but you do what you have to do.
The French used the rules to force resets after wheeling the All Black scrum.
The tactic did not result in a vibrant game, it frustrated the All Blacks and led to Henry's lament about the health of the international game.
Many believe the game cannot get much faster, but those who have seen and used the experimental law variations say the ball was in play longer because free kicks, rather than full penalties were awarded, and counter-attack was encouraged because the ball could not be passed back inside the 22 for others to kick to touch.
A full set of the proposals will be trialled in the men's B provincial competition, starting on August 25.
"Players are fitter, stronger and quicker and therefore the referee's decision-making time gets shorter and shorter," said IRB referees manager Paddy O'Brien.
"We wanted to go back to a blank page because we don't believe the laws are keeping up with the modern game. If you read the law book and then watch a match, the game on the field doesn't really reflect the laws."
New Zealand will test eight proposed law variations covering the lineout, scrum, breakdown, mauls and the 22m zone.
There will be no maximum numbers in the lineout, quick throws can be thrown backwards, free kicks will be awarded for any ruck and maul offences except offside, not coming through the gate and foul play.
Once the World Cup is over, the IRB will debate the proposals.
Any changes will not be introduced until the middle of next year after the Super 14.
