'Rugby at a crossroads' - Xavier Rush

Mar 21 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

Simon Thomas shares a fascinating audience with Blues’ Kiwi skipper Xavier Rush about the rule changes which have split the rugby world

THE sport of rugby union is at a crossroads, with the northern and southern hemispheres playing totally different versions of the game.

That’s the verdict of Cardiff Blues skipper Xavier Rush, who believes Wales’ chances of building on their Grand Slam triumph by claiming a Tri-Nations scalp hinge heavily on which direction the world game takes next.

Rush will be playing the traditional form of the 15-man code we all know and love tonight when he leads the Blues out against the Scarlets at Stradey Park for a crucial Magners League derby.

But, back in his native New Zealand, a very different game is being played.

In one of the most radical moves the sport has seen for years, a controversial new set of rules has been introduced for this year’s Super 14 competition, which is played out between the leading teams in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Known as ELVs – experimental law variations – the changes are designed to make the game more entertaining, by keeping the ball in play longer and encouraging more free-flowing rugby.

The most noticeable difference is that the majority of offences are now punished by a free-kick rather than a full penalty, which has dramatically cut the number of kicks at goal and to touch.

This in turn has reduced the amount of stoppages and line-outs, meaning the ball-in-play time has rocketed, providing fans with far more action.

The new laws have been hailed as a great success by both Australia and New Zealand, with the Aussies calling for them to be used in this year’s autumn internationals when Wales welcome the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies to the Millennium Stadium.

But some northern hemisphere unions, along with South Africa, have voiced concerns about them being adopted globally.

As a result, a decision on whether the ELVs will be used in this summer’s Tri-Nations series has been delayed and their long-term future in the game is still unclear.

All of which leaves the sport up in the air, a point not lost on former All Black Rush.

“We’ve got half the world playing one game and the other half playing another game,” said the Kiwi No 8.

“It’s hard to know what rules we are going to be playing in the future or where it’s all going.

“You are watching one set of rules in the Super 14 and a totally different set of rules in the Six Nations and Heineken Cup

“Any penalisable offence in ruck and maul is just a free-kick now in the southern hemisphere, which means the game is a whole lot quicker down there than it is up here at the moment.

“There’s a lot of free-kicks and not many line-outs because there are virtually no penalties, so people aren’t kicking for touch.

“The ball-in-play time in a game is 38 minutes, whereas we are at about 25 minutes.

“So it’s a lot more about fitness and skill, rather than power.

“I’d have to lose about 5kgs to play under the new rules!”

Asked whether he is a fan of the ELVs, Rush accepts that the game did perhaps need to be looked at after a World Cup dominated by defence and kicking.

“As a showpiece of international rugby, I thought the final of the World Cup was quite disappointing, so maybe there was a need to spice up the game,” he said.

“But I just think it’s a bit bizarre we’ve got one hemisphere playing one game and another hemisphere playing another game at the moment.

“If Wales have to play the new rules in the autumn, it’s going to be a bit of a disadvantage because the southern hemisphere has had six months to get used to them and play them.”

Giving his take on the Super 14 experiment, Blues coach Dai Young said, “I totally agree with Xavier, it’s a completely different game isn’t it?

“It doesn’t resemble the game that we are playing at all.

“If that’s the path we are all going to go down, a lot of the conditioning is going to have to change direction.

“We would be back to players with massive engines and taking a little bit of the power out of the game.

“The new laws have totally changed the game. It does give players the opportunity to give away penalties which are not going to be kicked and you are not going to lose field position.

“It’s a really quick, high-tempo, ball-in-hand type of game, which is a little bit different to what is played most of the time in this country. The game is a little slower here on heavier tracks.”

Whatever the future holds, nothing can take away from Wales’ achievement in pulling off the Grand Slam to become European champions.

Young says it has put a smile on the face of everyone in Welsh rugby, while Rush admits he has been shocked by the speed with which his countryman Warren Gatland has turned around the fortunes of the national team.

“I thought Wales were outstanding,” said the Blues powerhouse.

“To win all five games in the way they did was fabulous. It was great being at the France game last weekend and supporting Wales.

“I’m surprised at how quickly the success has come to be honest. I thought it would take a bit more time than what it has done, maybe 12 months or something like that.

“Saying that, I always thought Wales had the players that could compete with the best and that they were a really skilled bunch of guys.

“It’s great in terms of the half-back situation they have got now. They have got some real depth in those two crucial areas. All four of those players are world class and when that happens you can compete with anyone.”

Rush was particularly impressed with the efforts of his Blues back-row colleague Martyn Williams, who was named man of the match against both Scotland and France.

“It was great to see Martyn coming back from retirement,” he said.

“It would have been sad to see such a fabulous servant to Welsh rugby go out after that World Cup.

“He obviously knows he’s made a great decision in terms of coming back from retirement.

“His contribution during the championship was massive. That’s as good as I’ve seen Martyn play to be honest.”

Williams has been handed a well-deserved rest for tonight’s top of the table clash at Stradey, along with fellow Grand Slam heroes Tom Shanklin and Gethin Jenkins.

The Blues lie second in the league, two points ahead of the Scarlets, and both teams know that victory is vital if they are to have any chance of catching leaders Leinster, who have an eight-point buffer going into tonight’s home outing against Glasgow.

Want to comment on this story? Scroll down to post your thoughts on the forum thread at the end of this article