The sport as a spectacle is suffering as the world's two best Test sides resort to the boot, according to Shaun Edwards in the Guardian.
"So does running rugby pay? Obviously not for the second-best team in the world and not for a man who is arguably the best fly-half currently playing. But look elsewhere and you discover that the best team in the world, South Africa, kick even more frequently.
Why? Well one reason is that both sides do it well. Last Saturday, when the All Blacks were under pressure in the first half, Carter twice found touch nearly 60 metres downfield and the Springboks have probably the best kick/chase game around. Marry a brilliant lineout with the ability of their backs to behave like siege guns and you have quite a Test-winning tool.
However, with the game as it now stands, even less gifted kicking sides are mugs if they don't follow suit. Some call it patience, others say it's merely playing the odds, which have been stacked against running rugby."
RSS feed
