How the game has changed?

Just to lighten things up I was thinking yesterday of all the changes we have had in the game since the 70's, rules, points etc etc - I can think of many so let's see if we can get to 100 rule changes to our beloved game - you can have 3 shots only to give others a chance before we have a free for all and can some clever dxxx keep an account of the running total.

1) As a FB I used to be able to take the ball into my own 25 and then kick direct to touch - mo more
2) You used to be able to dummy from a scrum as a scrum half - now its a penalty offence
3) Lifting in the lineout was an offence - now its madatory

I was watching the Wales V ireland classic game from 1978 the other night, and it looked to me as though anything was allowed, but I certainly remember 4 points for a try.

The dummy from he scrum half at the base of the scrum was not a good change. It kept teams honest and onside which gave space to backs to actually attack the defensive line.

you also used to be able to knee the ball to chip over the opposition. That was a great bit of skill my grandad showed me how to do as a kid. Now its a knock on

TycroesOsprey wrote:you also used to be able to knee the ball to chip over the opposition. That was a great bit of skill my grandad showed me how to do as a kid. Now its a knock on

My grandad showed me the same thing when I was younger, unaware that the rules had changed, and got be sin binned!!

One thing I know from the thirties is that players used resin from the violin in their pockets so that the old leather ball stuck on a wet day otherwise it was a bar of soap.

TycroesOsprey wrote:you also used to be able to knee the ball to chip over the opposition. That was a great bit of skill my grandad showed me how to do as a kid. Now its a knock on

Is it?

DEFINITION: KNOCK-ON
A knock-on occurs when a player loses possession of the ball and it goes
forward, or when a player hits the ball forward with the hand or arm, or when the
ball hits the hand or arm and goes forward, and the ball touches the ground or
another player before the original player can catch it.
‘Forward’ means towards the opposing team’s dead ball line.

IRB link

Recent change, you can take a quick throw in backwards (with the right ball)

HammerofThunor wrote:

TycroesOsprey wrote:you also used to be able to knee the ball to chip over the opposition. That was a great bit of skill my grandad showed me how to do as a kid. Now its a knock on

Is it?

DEFINITION: KNOCK-ON
A knock-on occurs when a player loses possession of the ball and it goes
forward, or when a player hits the ball forward with the hand or arm, or when the
ball hits the hand or arm and goes forward, and the ball touches the ground or
another player before the original player can catch it.
‘Forward’ means towards the opposing team’s dead ball line.

IRB link

Recent change, you can take a quick throw in backwards (with the right ball)

It may be a penalty offence as bluestone got binned for it but it is definitely an offence, I was under the impression that it was a knock on as its classed as losing posession forward but may be wrong.

No tee to kick from. 3 points for try. Into touch on full from anywhere OK. No substitutes. Everyone on ground in ruck. Tip tackles OK....

You can head the ball on and it's not a knock-on. Can't see anything in the laws about a knee being forward. Maybe it's considered unsportsmanly?

kicking off from a tee, now its always a drop kick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2KISY1i9gQ

(just an excuse to get that video on here)

Also nobody seems to use piles of sand any more!

I did try to protest, which may be why it resulted in a yellow, although i'm not sure. Definitely wasn't allowed though!

No drop goal from a free kick.

The requirements for a fair catch (mark) have been
loosened

"crouch, touch, pause, engage"

The back foot law - entry to rucks and mauls.

Passing off the floor (was allowed, then not allowed, then partially allowed)

Rolling mauls allowed, then you could pull them down, then you couldn't - it is obstruction anyway.

Glas a du wrote:No drop goal from a free kick.

The requirements for a fair catch (mark) have been
loosened

"crouch, touch, pause, engage"

Glas,

Shouldn't that be:

crouch, touch, pause............. pause bit longer................. and pause some more, engage, reset scrum.

C'mon lads

2 points for a drop goal
3 for a try and then 4 and 5

and of course we now have :

TOUCH, PAUSE, CROUCH, CUPPA TEA, BURGER, FRIES, ENGAGE

It used to be an offence to put the ball in crooked to a scrum!

Second Rows were 6'4...NOT Wingers!!!!

Truck and Trailer

Players used to stay on the field and suck an orange at half time - The Irish lads just had a fag.

Yards & Metres

I still call it the 25

RubyGuby wrote:Players used to stay on the field and suck an orange at half time - The Irish lads just had a fag.

Or a swift half some of the tours I have been on lol

the use of feet at ruck time

When chasing garryowens, no problem with tackling airborne players.

No yellow cards.

No video ref.

No intervention from linesmen.

No citing panel.

bluestonevedder wrote:I did try to protest, which may be why it resulted in a yellow, although i'm not sure. Definitely wasn't allowed though!

I remember Carlos Spencer trying it in a Super 12 match and the ref calling it a knock on too.

Shoulder-barges considered good tackles (JPR a great exponent)

The final whistle came when time was up - no last play and no kicking the ball dead.

Kiwireddevil wrote:

bluestonevedder wrote:I did try to protest, which may be why it resulted in a yellow, although i'm not sure. Definitely wasn't allowed though!

I remember Carlos Spencer trying it in a Super 12 match and the ref calling it a knock on too.

ITs a shame that law changed as I think its a great piece of individual skill.

you also used to be able to knee the ball to chip over the opposition. That was a great bit of skill my grandad showed me how to do as a kid. Now its a knock on

It was classed as a knock on when I tried it 30 something years ago.

Players bigger, faster, fitter these days. No 99 calls. The advent of the professional dive.

SneakySideStep wrote:It used to be an offence to put the ball in crooked to a scrum!

It still is - as Brian Moore will tell you !

The winger traditionally used to throw the ball in to the lineout, no gap in the lineout (a complete free for all and lottery).

Where to start,full wheeling of the scrum,penalty for offsides at scrumhalf dummying abandoned.Lifting legalised,forming up at the Scrums changed to a ritual dance.
Mark only allowed in 25,no goal kicks allowed from it.,differential penalty[i.e kick to touch then keep lineouts.!-yard rule a t lineout,5yards at scrum.Ruck outlawed,Maul changes defending team getting putin not the attacking side.
No direct kicking to touch etc.

Line outs - spacing and numbers, never had any rules in the 70's, and using outside arm to get ball used to be ok.


Not a change in the laws, but a change in the pitches - first two games of the season were played on a reasonable surface, after that it was conditions that the lads from WW1 would recognise.

Our piches used to be marked in lime - that got banned didn't it?

Anyone remember that time in the 70's and 80's when some kickers started placing the ball before kicking a penalty touch - Also the NZ wingers throwing into the line out - Why hookers? (in a rugby sense lads)

RubyGuby wrote:Anyone remember that time in the 70's and 80's when some kickers started placing the ball before kicking a penalty touch - Also the NZ wingers throwing into the line out - Why hookers? (in a rugby sense lads)

I remember the french used to get their scrum half to throw in, it always confused me.

Making little castles of mud to act as tees.

Didn't JJ use to throw in for us on occasions

You could only bring a sub on for injuries -

And even then only a maximum of two.

Blood substitutions. In those days that was a term for ingesting a pint of Stout if you were feeling a bit peeky.

JJ & Gerald had a go at throwing in - Im still amazed that dyspraxic hookers seem to be the default throwers - or in Wales the default without the de

I can remember when it was always a place kick at kick off.(now its a drop kick)

You could take/pass the ball back in to your 22 and kick straight out.(you cant now)

How you could use your feet to (ruck a player) out of the way.(you cant now)

And i dont remeber their being anything called a (HIGH) tackle( around the head)

Rugby shirts had long sleeves and collars and were made of stuff that held as much water as a sponge ,I also seem to remember number's 1 to 7 being used for the backs and 8 to 15 for the forwards and sometimes letters being used instead of numbers but I might be hallucinating about this.

pontylad I also remeber some teams using Letters in stead on numbers.

When you lifted a players leg and pushed him over, whilst leaving the other leg on the ground such that he needed to break his fall with a free arm, it used to be called a "good tackle", now it's a yellow card and a penalty if you are playing Wales and they need a penalty to win the game.

You had to stationary to call a "mark".

The back row could slip around and didn't have to remain bound.

Artificial aids to goal kicking were not allowed other than sand and mud heaps.

Fly halves were all 10 stone weaklings and fair game for the open side to get at least one late tackle in early on (just to let him know you were there) with only a penalty ,no yellow card.

Rucking any player stupid enough to lie over the ball was allowed

pontylad wrote: and sometimes letters being used instead of numbers but I might be hallucinating about this.

Not if you come from Leicester

It must have been Leicester I saw on tour when I was in short trousers then .
On the rucking waking up on Sunday mornings with the stripes of battle on your back was a sign of the old days too .Probably the reason why the shirts were made of that material just to stay in one piece.

You used to be able to build sandcastles when kicking for goal.

You could ruck and leave sprig marks on people´s backs and so lying over the ball was a hazardous thing to do.

You didn't have yellow cards so you needed to do something shocking to get sent off.

A winger could be invisible if you saw him side on. Now he is a man mountain and there is very little difference between a back and a forward.

pontylad wrote:Rugby shirts had long sleeves and collars and were made of stuff that held as much water as a sponge ,I also seem to remember number's 1 to 7 being used for the backs and 8 to 15 for the forwards and sometimes letters being used instead of numbers but I might be hallucinating about this.

Yeah Leicester and Bristol use to have letters but as far as I can remember its always bee 1-8 forwards 9-15 backs and I am the wrong side of 40.