Throughout 2025, the sports teams at ZB and the Herald have spent countless hours watching games being played. In the second of a three-part series, we’re picking over the rule changes we’d love to see.
Proposed change: A ball that is bowled wide becomes a no ball.
In cricket, bowlers – quite sensibly – want to bowl deliveries that batters can’t hit for runs. So, they will bowl as close to the wide line as possible. If they get it wrong they bowl a wide, conceding a run and being forced to bowl the delivery again.
Spectators want to see runs scored and wickets taken, so bowlers should be further disincentivised from bowling wide of the wickets by having the delivery deemed a no ball. This would add a free hit on the next delivery, as well as bowling the extra ball and conceding a run. – Winston Aldworth
Proposed change: Only the first drop goal by a rugby team is worth three points, the next is two points, and from there on, only one point.
Flowing, side-to-side rugby is entertaining – dives for the corner, steps inside on the wing. It’s beautiful when the forwards pile over on the 15th phase, turning the previous few minutes of grafting into five, hopefully seven, points.
This is eliminated by a 30m drop goal, which shows a lack of belief in breaking down the opposition and is a cop-out to guarantee points.
The drop goal progressively losing value keeps it vaulted to be used only in dire need. Time’s run out, field’s too muddy, the ball’s slippery and you need points to win; fine, have a crack.
This rule ensures ethical points stay prominent, and turns the in-play three-pointer back into a once-in-a-blue-moon – or at the very worst, once-in-a-game – occurrence. If sides are happy with a pair of points, or one extra, similar to rugby league, then they can go for it.
Some might enjoy games with multiple drop goals – like George Ford’s effort against Argentina for England at the 2023 Rugby World Cup – but the average fan, looking for physical, ball-running footy, doesn’t. – Coby Moratti
Proposed change: Turn the ice green to chill spectators.
Ice hockey is not only the greatest and hardest sport to play in the history of sports it’s also the most difficult to watch. The bright, white ice is punishing for the eyes and creates an uneasy and almost agitative experience for the fan watching on television.
TVs these days broadcast in super-mega-ultra HD and you can come away from watching a hockey game feeling like Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange.
What is one of the most soothing colours for the eyes? Green. Deep. Lush. Green. So why does the ice have to be bright, punishing white? It could be a much more palatable and aurally pleasing green. Some may argue it’s hard enough to see the black puck on the contrasting white ice already. So won’t green make it worse? Potentially, but it would be a far more relaxing watch. – Jo Durie
Proposed change: During a scrum the clock is off until the ball is out
A plethora of scrum resets and binds not properly to the referee’s liking are the bane of any rugby fan, especially when it is time taken out of the game. When a scrum is called, the referee stops the match clock and only restarts it when the ball is in the back of the scrum and the halfback has their hands on it.
With more ball in play, for the viewer (and broadcasters) it will create more entertainment and less waning of action. For the players, they have more time to exhibit their skills at a time when more fans are looking at rugby league as an option to consume their watching time because of the non-stop action and heightened ball-in-play time. – Jack Ward
Proposed change: Abolish the “let” rule for serving in tennis.
Imagine being so good at tennis that you can hit the ball from the baseline and have it brush the top of the net, fall inside the bounds of play and be unreachable by your opponent. And then imagine having a rule in the game that prohibits you from scoring with such an audacious shot.
The “let” rule is some polite nonsense from tennis’ high-society origins. Imagine a footballer banging in a left-footed screamer that beats the keeper from 25m out, only to have the strike disallowed because it clipped the post on the way in.
We should encourage serves that are as close to the net as possible, they increase jeopardy for both players and make the game a better spectacle. – Winston Aldworth
Proposed change: If there are still overs to bowl after the extra half hour has finished, finish the allotted 90-over requirement.
Summer is when the sun is out longer so why, when over rates have been slow, the extra half hour has been used but there are still overs left in the day, do players leave the field despite the sun still being an hour and half to two hours away from setting? Play until the 90 overs have been bowled.
For the fans and broadcasters who supplement players’ wages, it sours the feeling of not getting maximum out of the day’s play. – Jack Ward
Proposed change: Eight-point tries to replace two-point conversions in league.
Although some people might enjoy watching players attempt conversions after a try, I’m sure there are plenty more people who would like to see more action from open play.
This is where the eight-point try would come in – instead of a standard kick at goal, teams could opt to score another try on a three-tackle set starting at the 10.
Although it could mean bad teams being completely blown out, it would also mean teams down by two or three tries could keep themselves in games and maintain that feeling of jeopardy until the final whistle. – Samuel Sherry
Proposed change: Remove “deliberate knock-on” from rugby.
In the legal system, many cases are won and lost by the fact it’s hard to prove whether or not someone intended to do something.
In rugby, though, officials can somehow prove, based solely on a few television replays, that defenders have “deliberately” knocked the ball down when attempting to intercept.
Think back to Aaron Smith’s yellow card in the World Cup quarter-final against Ireland. Was his act clumsy? Yes. Was it deliberate? Absolutely not.
As the game gets faster and defensive lines get higher, all that will happen is World Rugby will officiate interceptions out of the game.
And for a team like the All Blacks, who pride themselves on the ability to counter-attack, getting rid of the deliberate – for want of a better word, and law – knock on is an absolute must. – Alex Powell