Jones slams ELVs
28 Aug 2008
Eddie Jones has likened the ELVs to T20 cricket, stating the new rules are a ploy by Australian rugby to cheapen the game.
Jones had earlier remarked that the laws had been “picked out of a cornflakes packet,” and yesterday speaking at the launch of the English Premiership, he further slammed the ELVs.
“The important thing is to improve rugby. To judge the ELVs you have to ask ‘have they made the game better?’. Better does not necessarily mean more entertaining. If you want entertainment, you watch Twenty20 cricket. We don’t want rugby to be Twenty20 cricket.
“That has to be the judgment line. These changes have been made with a view to entertainment, not to improving rugby,” said the director of rugby at Saracens.
Jones noted that Australia, who were the fore-runners for proposing the laws, had different intentions than other countries.
“The pressure on rugby in Australia is to win fans. They’re competing directly against Aussie rules, rugby league and football. All three are simple motion games where the ball is always in play. To compete the Super 14 has become a quick-tap motion game. The ball is in play a lot but that doesn’t create a better game, it creates entertainment – to the detriment of rugby,” he said.
He intimated that different versions of rugby could be the way to go in future to suit different audiences.
“Now there’s Test match cricket and Twenty20 cricket but we need to keep Test match rugby. Around the world most people want to watch Test rugby. There are pockets around the world who want to see Twenty20 cricket so let’s make Twenty12 rugby.
“We could have 12 players, 20 minutes each way with no scrums or line-outs. As the game becomes more professional another form of the game could develop. Sevens hasn’t been a success as entertainment. It might do well in Hong Kong and Wellington, but not around the world. You might find another form of the game springs up eventually,” he said.
Jones cited the standard of the World Cup last year – which was played under the old rules – and how popular this made the game.
“Just have a look at what the World Cup has done in Europe. Rugby in France is so big now – they had four club games with 80,000 crowds last season. Rugby in France is going through the roof because the World Cup was so successful,” he said.
“Watch Bath against Wasps in January – it was one of the best games I’ve ever seen. There were unbelievable skills levels on show. It had everything. If a game is played well and refereed well then there is nothing wrong with it. If you play the game well then it becomes a spectacle.
“If you try to make it a spectacle first and foremost, then you get a simplistic version.”
115 Comments
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28 Aug 2008, 09:53 am
Jones DRAG-ON!!!
28 Aug 2008, 09:56 am
Auzzie Dragonz…
28 Aug 2008, 09:57 am
Yeah
28 Aug 2008, 09:58 am
Hmmm… Pot calling the kettle black, I’d say.
28 Aug 2008, 09:58 am
I hope the Poms come to our rescue on this. Viva Eddie Viva!
28 Aug 2008, 09:59 am
Ooooooooooo…this should be fun.
28 Aug 2008, 10:01 am
Trust the Auzzies to screw up everything to suit them, farkin BANDITS…
28 Aug 2008, 10:06 am
I can’t see the Poms approving the ELV’s. It is ultimately trying to eliminate large lumbering forwards and favouring lighter and more athletic guys. This is killing the diversity in the game.
28 Aug 2008, 10:06 am
I said it yesterday and the day before…Jones is a mercenary…unwanted in his country after the shame he brought the teams he coached. His only achievement was inheriting a brumbies side that Rod McQueen had built to the very last detail. This oake is essentially a “rugby *****” and will sleep in the same bed as anyone who wants him…currently jake white
28 Aug 2008, 10:07 am
#9 flanka:
LOL
28 Aug 2008, 10:07 am
the epitomy of a “rent-a-quote”. Was conveniently used by KEO yesterday.
28 Aug 2008, 10:08 am
#9 flanka: .. and won a WC medal in the process.
28 Aug 2008, 10:08 am
#9 flanka: Yip, but a ***** who knows all the nice positions…
28 Aug 2008, 10:11 am
I Agree with Eddie 100%. Ruby has not become more entertaining at all since the launch of the ELV’s!
In fact its become a bore-fest of note. How many full backs don’t kick the ball when they get it these days in open play?
Everything is about winning loose ball and at times the game looks really like one big freacking mess.
Most of the refs also has no clue to interpret the laws and most of the times just confuse the cr@p out of the players.
Ruby most of the time looks like 2 teams of headless chickens running at one another in the yard.
It’s a mess and really, really, really boring to watch!!!!
28 Aug 2008, 10:11 am
Just to put things into perspective about how out of touch he is with Aussie rugby….Sonny Bill Williams is currently HATED with a passion in australia, former great kiwi league player who plied his trade in aus just walked right out of his contract without any warning to pursue a union career in France (following the dollar) then Jones comes out in the media and has the audacity to say any Australian Union club would be foolish not to poach him.
28 Aug 2008, 10:12 am
#12 Die Griek: all he did was fine tune our backline (and i won’t take that away from him)…doesnt know how to manage all 15 men
28 Aug 2008, 10:13 am
I have been saying this for months now.
The ELVs will only ruin the game.
So once again I ask my as yet unanswered question: if the ELVs make rugby so entertaining why are the stands so empty?
28 Aug 2008, 10:14 am
#13 Rum And Maple: You said it…she’ll make you spend every last cent on her then low and behold a month later you have herpes! Gave the wallabies herpes…gave the reds chlamydia
28 Aug 2008, 10:15 am
#15 flanka: Nobody can dissagree with your assumption that Eddie is an A@@hole, but he is still correct in his assessment of the ELV’s.
28 Aug 2008, 10:16 am
He’s nothing more than a backline coach hence why it was incomprehensible that HIM OF ALL PEOPLE come out in the media and try teach PDV how to coach a pack of forwards when he reigned over the worst aussie pack in history
28 Aug 2008, 10:16 am
#9 flanka: Flunka, remember that Jones was brought in because one of our own, one Rassie Erasmus, tunred his back on his country, to take up his WP position. Rassie was supposed to fill a ‘techincal advisor’ role but money was more important for him, so he slinked off to the cape in disgrace.
28 Aug 2008, 10:16 am
When Jones left Aus I thought thank God he’s gone. I just wish he’d shut up now, he was a failure as coach even after inheriting a team at the top of it’s game from Rod Macqueen. Shut up Eddie, no one cares what you think.
28 Aug 2008, 10:16 am
#18 flanka: The thing is, if EJ still coached the Wobblies, he would be the first to applaud the ELVs. It’s the only way the can try to keep up with real rugby nations.
28 Aug 2008, 10:18 am
Collapsing mauls is not entertaining.
28 Aug 2008, 10:19 am
#19 Die Griek: Naturally because our team is struggling to adapt to the laws we’re going to detest them..as did most Bulls supporters. But when the laws are played by teams on the verge of mastering them they are beautiful to watch…look back at some of the stormers games, or the bledisloe game this year in aus…or even NZ’s demolition of Aus this year. It’s a teething process right now. A few of the laws might need to be revisited such as collapsing the maul (stupid and pointless) but all in all even if Australia think these laws are gonna give them an advantage..God help them when die bokke finally click…NZ are already at the thresh-hold of mastering them
28 Aug 2008, 10:20 am
I don’t agree with any of you muppits. I also used to hate the guy but Eddie Moans took Oz to a whisker of beating an awesome English team at the RWC in 2003 save for a last minute drop kick. Result: RWC 2003 silver medal. Then he visibly helped the Bok backline win the RWC 2007. Result: Gold medal.
Not too many coaches around with those credentials.
28 Aug 2008, 10:20 am
#21 BlueBlood: And look what good that has done them. Nah I’ll rather have Eddie on my side.
28 Aug 2008, 10:23 am
Totally agree Eddie, hope the rugby World takes note. Nothing at all wrong with the traditional game as it has been played todate. Better than this “helter skelter” garbage we are seeing now.
28 Aug 2008, 10:24 am
Personally – I prefer the old rules including the rucking out of arseh@les lying on the wrong side slowing down the ball.
Back in the day, you racked or got raked about twice, than the **** stopped. Wonderful !!!
The game has gotten a little too soft I think …
28 Aug 2008, 10:24 am
#21 BlueBlood: And EJ’s contribution was much appreciated, but he shouldn’t let it get to his head…when you hear or read some of his columns you’d swear he was the Co-coach of the Boks last year. Rassie will be back in the bok setup soon, mark my words. In the end it was probably a blessing in disguise not to have rassie as EJ brought fresh concepts to our backs which were sorely needed..wallaby concepts, and when it comes to technical aspects of the backline no-one can match the aussies. But that aside, EJ is a sheite coach and currently he’s got something to say about EVERYTHING happening in worldrugby. He’ll say anything to defend his bubble bath partner Jake
28 Aug 2008, 10:28 am
#23 Rum And Maple: Not when we master them boet…and thats the thing..we’re still mastering the laws but tell me in the last few games we’ve lost there haven’t been moments where you’ve jumped up from your seat and said “faaark that was almost a try, die bokke looked dangerous there!”……I tell you muppits, when we click we’re gonna be dangerous. This situation almost mirrors the stormers super 14 campaign. Remember how diabolical they were the 1st few games but you could see sparks of brilliance…then when they clicked on the australasian tour they looked unstoppable. It’s gonna happen boys..
28 Aug 2008, 10:31 am
Unless players are funded by millionaires in the UK or France, they depend on income from TV competition. TV networks want “bums on seats”, and the growth market are young women and men. If it’s not entertaining, they’ll switch channels.
So the choice is simple for players in SANZAR – adapt to ELVs and other more entertaining forms of the game, or emigrate to Europe and their rich club owners. Or be a purist and play “traditional” rugby, but not be paid much.
On another level, new potential TV viewers for rugby are black. Hence the need for them to identify with players of their own ilk.
It’s all about the numbers, guys. Stay pure and poor, or entertaining and in the money.
28 Aug 2008, 10:32 am
#26 Skywalker: **** Muir almost won a Super 14 were it not for a second of brilliance but in that second HM became Jake Whites “successor” and south africas best coach….almost means nothing. Now Muir is an assistant coach whom everyone thinks shouldn’t even be there. As for the worldcup, I agree he had input, but honestly speaking most of our backline tries came from broken play and Habana magic…the rest was go forward dominance which he had nothing to do with
28 Aug 2008, 10:33 am
#31 flanka: I do not disagree. We looked dangerous at times. I really hope we click and show the Auzzies how we can play the ELVs. Then they can start critisising the ELVs next week.
28 Aug 2008, 10:36 am
I think the biggest problem so far with ELVs have been the unbelievable inconsistency of the referee and that there are about a hundred different versions of ELV’s.
Also you can’t have a ref blowing full arms for one team and free kicks for another team.
28 Aug 2008, 10:37 am
Having given myself this year to judge the ELV’s, I must say I agree wholeheartedly with Eddie Jones.
The game has become a contact version of touch rugby, and there is not enough structure for true strategic gameplans.
I personally loved the game without ELV’s – you could see clearly what patterns a team was trying to enforce, you could see clearly if they were successful in their attempt to make the opposition play their pattern/gameplan.
Maybe it would make sense to keep a few of the new rules, but definitely not all of them, like the 5m behind the last foot at scrum time, and maybe they can try simplify the tackle area (in my opinion – bring back rucking and allow anyone to grab the ball if they can get their hands on it – this will force teams to commit more players to the rucks and thereby free up more space at the back to allow for faster, sweeter line moves – giving the entertainment the aussies seem to need!)
28 Aug 2008, 10:38 am
Jones is getting lekker dik tril and having a say to every one and every thing.
Think he is the **** just because he sat next to JW when we won the World Cup!
I hated him when he coached Aus, then had to accept him when he was with the boks, but Ithink the old feeling is comeing back
28 Aug 2008, 10:38 am
The only team that is really benefiting from the ELV are the aussies. They don’t have the tight five to compete on the world stage hence this new set of rules. It allows them toplay to their strength which is the loose forwards and their dangerous backs.
28 Aug 2008, 10:43 am
Robbie Deans makes Eddie Jones look as though he was “picked out of a cornflakes packet”
28 Aug 2008, 10:45 am
#35 Sonito: Agree, look, we are struggling to come to grips with the ELVs but I believe none of the refs have a clue how to officiate them, a lot of inconsistancy, very frustrating.
28 Aug 2008, 10:46 am
#38 Zulushark: If anything the 5m rule allows a team with a dominant pack to absolutely dictate the game. We’ve had the chances recently but FDP and Butch’s terrible boots have made that dominance a non-factor. Bloggers, if you saw the Bledisloe game in NZ you would have seen how the kiwis already have the wallabies number…they absolutely out-thought and out-muscled them. When we click it’ll be the same and the natural order of things will be restored. Aus’s days in the sun are numbered…
28 Aug 2008, 10:47 am
#39 church – like chch but pronounceable: LOL
28 Aug 2008, 10:47 am
#33 flanka:
Funny how all the player that won that medal seemed to rate his input as huge
28 Aug 2008, 10:48 am
#43 Zulushark: What are they gonna say to the media….”Ja Jones was kak, we don’t know why oem jake hired him”
28 Aug 2008, 10:50 am
#43 Zulushark: Well, they players also says PDV is on the right track. Does anyone belive them?
28 Aug 2008, 10:51 am
#43 Zulushark: being a technical advisor on short notice is 1 of the easiest coaching missions because essentially your job is to come in, have a look at all the videos/play and analyse the errors. It’s like when you give your mate an essay you’ve written so he can proof-read it. It’s easy for him to pick out all your punctuation errors and mispelt words or bad grammar….even if it was essentially YOUR essay
28 Aug 2008, 10:54 am
Flanka, you keep going on about how we will click. These dudes have been playing under the ELVs all flippin year and now are about 8 tests down the track how much more time do the coaches and players need to learn a couple new rules. For me it doesn’t work and watching Springbok Saga last night, the rugby SA played under Jake white, even when we lost, had purpose and imagination. Go check some of the tries we scored in those 4 years, unbelievable.
28 Aug 2008, 10:55 am
#45 Johnny T: Of course they’ll say that.
Just think about it – “Hell no, the coach has got it wrong” – followed by a Donald Trump “YOU’RE FIRED” – good bye to a lucritive bok contract. Duh.
So, publically say that the coach is right and privately try to moderate his views and hopefully win against decent opposition – good plan my China.
28 Aug 2008, 10:56 am
#48 SyKoPlaya: Exactly
28 Aug 2008, 10:57 am
#45 Johnny T: #46 flanka:
We, as the paying informed public know that snor is making shite difference. The results and the world rankings show that. At the moment the players are saying the right things to a.keep their place in the team and b. keep the income coming in.
These factors were’nt reasons for the players to laud EJ contribution.
flanka, thats all he had to do, the fine tuning bit, something alistar coetzee, jake and co could’nt seem to get right. As you say, hand in an essay full of mistakes compared to a corrected one is the ndifference between 65% and 85%
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