NRL statement on 40/20 restart.

[Guest]

Referees will blow their whistles to signal when a tap restart can be taken after a 40/20 kick from tonight.

The NRL’s Competition Committee today reiterated its support for the rule, introduced this year, which allows teams to take a tap kick after a 40/20, rather than a scrum.

The Committee said the new rule had made 40/20’s even more exciting for fans and would be retained.

However, from tonight, the tap kick can only be taken after the referee has blown his whistle.

Referees will give defending teams a reasonable time to get into position before signalling a restart of play.

NRL Head of Football, Todd Greenberg said he was confident the change in the process would eliminate confusion while retaining the excitement of the 40/20 tap restart.

“The tap kick was never designed to allow teams a lightning fast restart of play,” Mr Greenberg said.

“It was introduced to eliminate time wasting in setting up a scrum which often negated the advantage of kicking a 40/20.

“The clarification of the rule is aimed at keeping the game flowing while giving defending teams a chance to get into position.”

All NRL teams will be sent a circular explaining the new process today and team captains will be reminded of the need to wait for the referee’s whistle for a 40/20 tap restart during the coin toss of each match this weekend.

The Competition Committee comprises former and current coaches, match officials, administrators and broadcast representatives.

Roosters coach, Trent Robinson, who is on the Committee, said the change in procedure would help eliminate confusion about when a tap restart can be taken.

“It will be clear to everyone now that the restart cannot be taken until the referee has blown his whistle,” Mr Robinson said.

Referees boss Tony Archer said referees would welcome the move.

“Teams will still be expected to be ready to restart play quickly but everyone will know when the tap can take place,” he said.

[Guest]

How quickly will the whistle be blown by Badger when Souths kick a 40/20 or concede one?

[chook 56]

How quickly will the whistle be blown by Badger when Souths kick a 40/20 or concede one?

My thoughts exactly.

[Bansai Pipeline]

This is imbecilic.

Consistency is impossible.

Let's hope it doesn't decide a final.

[Vasco]

Never seen such a reactive organisation.

The AFL must laugh at us.

[stsae]

Never seen such a reactive organisation.

The AFL must laugh at us.

NewsRL was a thousand times more reactive than anything we have seen since or before maaaaaaaaaaaaaate.

The gAyFL is a game where you can elbow a player in the back of the head and cop a weeks holiday. Or where you can be a coach whose overseen a drug regime and cop a years holiday on full pay, a cool mill I believe.

They have no reason to be pointing and laughing at anyone IMO. Even their crowds are well down from what I've been told.

On the 40-20 rule change it's probably better than it was. Last week I saw Brad Arthur I believe quote that from the 25 40-20s this season only 5 have resulted in quick restarts, for various reasons, mostly players not taking the tap from the correct mark as the Tigpies did last week against us.

I know a change isn't ideal at this late stage of the season but honestly the way the rule had evolved this season it wasn't really working.

IMO getting the ball back with 6 tackles in the 20 should be reward enough.

The quick restart was to stop teams wasting time getting to a scrum. I'm guessing now the reff will have the discretion to allow a team the chance to get back onside if they aren't trying to slow the process down. If they want to bend the friendship I guess they will allow the tap to be taken quickly.

[Guest]

This is imbecilic.

Consistency is impossible.

Let's hope it doesn't decide a final.

Agree 100%. If they wanted to fix the problem of scrums taking 90 secs to form, penalise the team farking about, it'll soon stop.

Chook.

[roosterproud]

Agree 100%. If they wanted to fix the problem of scrums taking 90 secs to form, penalise the team farking about, it'll soon stop.

Chook.

I love the way the ref still has to educate the players in the scrum how to pack in. penalize the guys who fcuk up

[The Axe]

This puts the decision back to the very same idiots who cannot use judgment now. How will they consistently implement,
"Referees will give defending teams a reasonable time to get into position before signalling a restart of play"?

I don't have the exact answer but how about the timekeeper will allow 10 seconds from the moment the ball crosses the touch line before play is allowed to resume with a quick tap. This gives consistency and allows a team to reset their D without delaying the match. If everyone knows the rules, it is fair.

BTW, I'm just suggesting 10 seconds. It could be whatever is agreed

[novice chook]

This puts the decision back to the very same idiots who cannot use judgment now. How will they consistently implement,
"Referees will give defending teams a reasonable time to get into position before signalling a restart of play"?

I don't have the exact answer but how about the timekeeper will allow 10 seconds from the moment the ball crosses the touch line before play is allowed to resume with a quick tap. This gives consistency and allows a team to reset their D without delaying the match. If everyone knows the rules, it is fair.

BTW, I'm just suggesting 10 seconds. It could be whatever is agreed

You are assuming that the officials can count to 10 - considering some of them have have proven to have trouble counting to 6, I can see plenty margin for error before they get to counting double figures.


NC

[Andrew Walker]

What a crock of shit this is. Let the referees decide how long is long enough for a team to get back Clueless idiots running the game Although clever enough to not admit they have made an error with the rules by changing it back to what it previously was which would have been the samrt thing to do

There will be more drama now Clueless fools

[Cockadoodledoo]

NewsRL was a thousand times more reactive than anything we have seen since or before maaaaaaaaaaaaaate.

It's far worse under David Smith than it was under Gallop. Everytime a player gets hurt in a tackle we need countless video replays to see what happened. It is killing the game. Also as others mentioned, the massive jacking up of prices which has occurred under Smith is because he would rather 50,000 paying $100 a ticket than 80,000 paying $50. The problem is those 30,000 may decide to start following another sport. Killing the game at the grass roots.

[roosterproud]

What a crock of shit this is. Let the referees decide how long is long enough for a team to get back Clueless idiots running the game Although clever enough to not admit they have made an error with the rules by changing it back to what it previously was which would have been the samrt thing to do

There will be more drama now Clueless fools

I loved the reviews used when the golden child of the nrl dce got hit freeken hard in a genuine great tackle. what were they reviewing it for. refs wanted mandy to win