Wynne Gray: Tell us you understand the rules, Sanzar - we don't

Aaron Cruden of the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images

Take a step back, Sanzar, and give us an honest appraisal of your competition. Forget your nearly round-robin Super Rugby draw and the impending 2016 changeover to conference pools. Cast those wonky ideas aside ... for now.

How about you examine the laws you are asking fans to follow, players to understand and referees to enforce.

That means you Lyndon Bray, yes you as head of the referees division, and Greg Peters as the competition chief executive.

Try telling me you understand what is happening out on the field. Even 50 per cent of the time. Because if you do I'll bet you are in a minority. Usually each season there is some drip feed explanation to the media about tweaks to the rules. We are then supposed to educate the public.

I've always felt if the laws are not clear they should be rewritten.

Condense the swollen law book and its accompanying sub-sections, appendices and addenda, in fact make that a project with a capital P if you are going to claim those entertainment audiences you are always talking about.

We've all been flummoxed by the rulings about players challenging for the ball in the air before we had Aaron Cruden tipped on his head by the Sharks with no punishment.

It's as bewildering as the breakdown shambles with players off their feet, playing the ball on the ground, wanting to ruck but not allowed, massive kinks in the offside line and referees issuing all sorts of instructions.

Circumnavigating the Arc de Triomphe is a leisurely drive compared to that fiasco.

Then we come to rugby's most cryptic work when the forwards, in the name of crafty deception, go about their work at the driving maul where they form a shield in front of their mate who is carrying the pigskin.

Defenders are not allowed to come around the side and not permitted to sack the wedge while the side in possession can break off, reform and keep shifting the ball to the tail of the drive.

Then at Hamilton we went to another level as the Cheetahs scored from an uncontested lineout.

Referee Craig Joubert is at the summit of his baffling occupation but even he seems to have been duped.

Boom Prinsloo caught the ball and transferred it back to teammate Heinrich Brussow as the Cheetahs formed a wedge around them.

The Chiefs did not challenge and fanned out while captain Liam Messam darted around to try to find the pill.

Meanwhile Brussow returned the ball to an offside Prinsloo who turned and ran to the tryline.

We've had innovations like 13-man lineouts and up the jumper mischief from tap penalties.

Referees have become stricter on decoy moves where defenders are blocked from their work and this latest Cheetahs version should be unlawful.

Hello, Sanzar? Anyone home? Peters and Bray, are you there, can you help, can you take the constituents through the logic of this rugby law.