Wales’ defence coach, Shaun Edwards, wants players who compete for turnovers at the breakdown to be given equal protection from referees as attacking players in the tackle.
Edwards, who is rejoining Wigan in rugby league after next year’s World Cup, fears the move to a more open and attacking game has come at a cost with Sam Warburton retiring before the start of the season because of the toll taken on the Wales captain by injuries sustained contesting breakdowns.
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“The game is not like it was five or six years ago,” said Edwards. “Teams are conceding an average of 27.5 points in a Test and it is difficult to slow the ball down at a ruck. Administrators want more tries but while people come to games to watch attacking rugby, with defence a necessary evil, you have to protect defenders as well as you protect attacking players.
“That is not being done in equal measure at the moment. A number of players are being injured after getting over the ball. People are allowed to fly off their feet and clean players out at a ruck who are trying to jackal for the ball.
“Competing for possession is part of rugby union, whether in a scrum, lineout or ruck. The game is all about creating an even contest, but it is so quick now. It is the way to go if you want to get more interest in rugby, but you have to protect defenders at a time when those capable of getting over the ball and slowing its release are becoming ever more valuable.”
New Zealand will be without the flanker Sam Cane on their tour of Japan and Europe, which starts against Australia in Yokohama next Saturday, after he broke a bone in his neck after a breakdown collision against South Africa this month and Wales will be without three back-rowers for their four autumn internationals in Cardiff against Scotland, Australia, Tonga and South Africa.
“It will be my last November campaign, although I have every intention of returning to union at some point,” said Edwards. “Every one of our games is winnable and every one is losable. We have some injuries, especially in the back row, but when we were the best team in Europe earlier this decade we had 23 or 24 players and then there was a bit of a drop off. We now have strength in depth and are not sure what our best team is.
“I want to go out with a bang. You want to get involved in the big games, quarter-finals and semi-finals, and take it from there. We would have been in the 2011 World Cup final but for a decision that went against us in the semi-final and we missed out on a semi-final four years later when Bryan Habana got away with being offside. It would be nice if some of the big decisions went the way of northern hemisphere sides next year.”