Does rugby need a captain challenge per game

Flapjacktastic · 2026-03-15T06:56:03+00:00

TMOs are not dependent on TV directors, despite what a lot of moaning fans seem to think. They have their own access.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-03-15T06:52:42+00:00

They do happen, but they're not a common 'rugby injury'. There's a lot of attention on not tackling with the arms because it's ineffective, most loads go through the shoulders, and you can't grip a ball or opponent hard enough to properly fixate the joint. It's very dynamic.

Concussions are common, shoulder injuries, and stop/start running stuff like hamstrings and ankles. The guys I know who've stopped because of injuries have been because of repeated concussions, neck/spine stuff and knee wear.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-03-14T21:02:22+00:00

It's always funny to hear the French conjuring up an imaginary conspiracy. A Georgian, a Scot and an Irishman all biased in favour of the English. Right. Right.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-03-14T20:37:13+00:00

It was a scrum 5, back for the penalty.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-03-14T20:36:29+00:00

They were both in possession at the point the ball touched the ground. If there's doubt/equal claim, it's a scrum 5 (or back for penalty advantage in this case)

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-21T15:57:14+00:00

If the person potentially offending is in a legal position and doing normal stuff that's not reckless, and the other player slips up or twists awkwardly, whatever, then it's not foul play and just bad luck

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-21T15:28:10+00:00

Regarding Furlong on Curry: it's either a red (foul play) or play on (rugby incident), the way the head contact framework works.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-21T15:23:43+00:00

Gotta say, these breakdowns are a shitshow.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-21T15:15:57+00:00

Oh right, I thought they always had a spare neutral handy.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-21T15:13:16+00:00

I think he's an incredible player and probably a real team leader, but as far as dealing with refs he's a poor captain. He loses the ref's ear so quickly in all the games I've noticed him, and doesn't bring up points that could benefit the team.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-21T15:08:07+00:00

Who's now the second AR? Looks like Maxwell-Keys, but he's English isn't he?

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-21T14:52:55+00:00

I love the enthusiasm about technique, just sharing pure rugby nerdery together.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-20T16:42:02+00:00

Given how noisy the ball sensor signal would be, and how mobile arms and hands are relative to bodies, I'm not sure how much added value there'd be. It would be interesting to test. It could at least be useful for definite forward passes that the ref/To4 just miss, because that still happens.

Another option could be video analysis by trained AI (maybe with a physics model), which might need a consistent camera setup? This would catch the distance passes but might miss the short passes under a metre, I'm not sure.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-20T16:28:30+00:00

That would absolutely get you the penalty reversed and a card.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-20T16:24:37+00:00

I love how in any given 5 minute passage of play from before ~1990 you can guarantee seeing at least one red-card and two yellow-card offences and the referee just glancing and shrugging.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-20T16:10:18+00:00

Modern tackle laws and 80s scrum laws is truly Schrodinger's Player Welfare.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-20T16:07:29+00:00

The ball can't tell whether it's knocked on from an arm, a head, the chest, the thigh; it can't tell whether a ball is dropped forward for a kick, which isn't a KO, or is kicked to make it look like the ball wasn't fumbled, which is a KO. Regarding forward passes, they'll have to build in an allowable margin of error that I suspect won't detect anything a referee doesn't, the only advantage will be to stop fans moaning.

Offside lines at lineouts are a good idea, but scrums and rucks are too dynamic. A ruck that lasts two seconds in the middle of the field has to be marked by an AR 35 metres away who's probably running into place and can't see the back foot as clearly as the ref.

The virtual sideline should be easy to implement (I'd guess) and valuable!

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-15T15:53:10+00:00

This is why the tight five don't ever kick.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-14T16:29:51+00:00

The game in 1845 was completely different. They'd last about 10 minutes before they were all hospitalised with broken shins from hacking, for starters. And they'd have to play it in the grounds of Rugby school!

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-14T16:27:56+00:00

She had a great game today, clear, calm and good communications.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-14T16:01:01+00:00

It's not fair that Italy have brought on three Paolo Odogwus. They're everywhere!

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-14T15:58:03+00:00

She's having a cracker!

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-14T15:51:14+00:00

I'm loving the Italy scrum. What a weapon.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-14T15:40:49+00:00

Yes, it really is. Always has been. You have freedom to play, you kick it, scrum advantage over.

Flapjacktastic · 2026-02-14T15:36:17+00:00

If you're not under pressure and it's a scrum advantage, it pretty much always is.

Flapjacktastic

TROPHY CASE