The All Blacks ability to score tries at pace
In the days after the World Cup quarter-finals, global media were waxing lyrical about one of the greatest weekends of rugby ever produced.
There was genuine wonderment about how brilliantly the four games played out – showcasing the fundamentals of the sport and the quirks that set it apart.
The pace, intensity and skill level of the New Zealand Rugby versus Ireland and France versus South Africa games were incredible.
There was set-piece crunch, brilliant attack, brave defence, a desire to take risks and a breathlessness that took all four teams to the brink of their aerobic capacities.
The other two encounters didn’t have the same intensity or skill-level, but they were compelling in their own ways – and certainly no one who paid to watch England beat Fiji or Argentina beat Wales, would have felt they didn’t get value for money, or that they wouldn’t want to buy a semifinal ticket.
But here we are now, six weeks after the final in which South Africa sneaked past New Zealand 12-11 and the conversation in the Southern Hemisphere has switched to trying to determine ways in which to fix the game.
The mood in New Zealand changed in the weeks after the final, to one of concern that international rugby needs a re-set to help produce a consistently entertaining product.
Specifically, Kiwis believe there is a need to clear-up the role of the TMO and how they interact with the referee.
Executives, coaches, players and media have all had their say on this topic – unanimously agreeing that they would like to return to a world where the referee is unambiguously in charge, with light support from the TMO available on request.
NZR chief executive Mark Robinson is leading the charge, telling media in Auckland last week that: “We saw some incredible rugby at the tournament [RWC], and early on we saw, especially in southern France, some incredible scenes around fans being able to get close to teams. We saw some great footy, and some significant upsets.
“It’s fair to say as the tournament grew there was fan frustration around some elements of the game.
“We are very interested to be part of the ongoing discussion that’s going to take place in the near future to look to address that.
“We are very clear in New Zealand, and we believe in Australia, and we believe other parts of the world are starting to acknowledge that the fan has to be far more greatly considered in our consideration of what we’re going to do with the future state of the game.”
It’s understandable that there is some angst in New Zealand about the role technology plays in the game, after a World Cup final that was at times confusing in the way it was officiated.
And probably Robinson is right that most other countries are keen to get this area tidied up and to better establish the referee as the primary official.
But New Zealand’s concern about the state of international rugby runs a little deeper, and it’s apparent that they feel they want more done to facilitate a faster, aerobic contest.
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