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Gallagher Premiership

Water breaks among the changes as Premiership ready to return

By PA

12 Aug 2020

(Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

Water breaks will be a feature of Gallagher Premiership games when the season restarts on Friday. The one-minute stoppages midway through each half will replicate Premier League matches during the reconvened football season in June and July.

Harlequins and Sale Sharks launch the Premiership resumption on Friday following the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, with nine rounds of regular-season games left followed by play-offs and the final in October.

Aside from water breaks, Premiership officials will also adopt strict interpretations at the key breakdown area, mirroring referees who have taken charge of matches this summer in New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa tournament, with an emphasis on making the breakdown safer.

Saracens’ Owen Farrell opens up on mental health in a powerful video with Rio Ferdinand

A detailed breakdown law application guideline was produced by World Rugby earlier this year, involving input from the likes of former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt and top international referees Wayne Barnes and Jaco Peyper. The aim is to make one of rugby’s most difficult areas simpler to play, coach and officiate.

It focuses on key areas such as tacklers releasing the ball-carrier and rolling away immediately in the direction of the touchline, an onus on ball-carriers presenting or releasing the ball more quickly, and legal entries to the breakdown.

A familiar face will be absent this weekend https://t.co/JiA8EvL3EP

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 12, 2020

Games in New Zealand saw an abundance of penalties being awarded during early matches, but the overall product has seen faster, attacking possession and created a fairer contest between attack and defence. Premiership officials will also be using their assistant referees to help them during games with the breakdown area.

Meetings have been held with Premiership directors of rugby and referees’ chiefs on the breakdown, in addition to input from players.

This brings a new meaning to having a dressing room beerhttps://t.co/GxxL8pBH5i

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 12, 2020

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Comments on RugbyPass

johnz 18 minutes ago

All Blacks talk late-game adjustments after clutch England win

I guess the other option would be to start ALB, he's looked good in the 12 so far when he starts and sets up those outside him. But that would mean putting the vice captain on the bench, which is unlikely. Another option would be to drop Reiko to the bench and play Proctor, though he's gone home so that's not going to happen either.

Both of those players just offer more of the soft distribution skills good centres learn from playing their careers there. Unfortunately that's what's lacking with the current combo.

11 Go to comments

ColinK 18 minutes ago

Are the All Blacks doomed to a 70% flatline?

Whatever let's see if this load of waffle is still valid in 2 years time. ABs will rise we have a lot of new talent coming through. The NPC was the highest standard for years. The game is changing to suit the fast pace we like to play. We get to play the Springboks more, including the franchises, which will make us better! Overall I am optimistic. I will add having watched the England game multiple times we made most of the play. England are an awesome physical team, but you can expect the All Blacks to get better and better at executing the chances. It could easily have been 5 tries to one instead of 3 to 1.

1 Go to comments

johnz 26 minutes ago

All Blacks talk late-game adjustments after clutch England win

Ratima did look rattled, compared to Roigard who looked like a boss when he came on. But that's been Roigard in test rugby so far. Ratima is only really starting because of Roigard's injury, otherwise surely Roigard was the incumbent. So it's not just one outing of the pine, that just points to Roigard being ready to have a start. As good as Ratima has been, Roigard just offers more.

11 Go to comments

GL 1 hour ago

How surprise opportunities led Harry Plummer to debut for All Blacks

Cody Taylor is a more significant loss than BB, not even close!

1 Go to comments

JD 1 hour ago

'I never heard from Gatland... It kills me to this day'

Won't see a player like him nor, hopefully, an arsehole like him either. Odious kant.

22 Go to comments

CO 1 hour ago

Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I agree largely and I rate McKenzie as a wonderful utility at his best but now at twenty nine I wouldn't take him to the next world cup. I've never seen him as a a ten or a starter either at top tier test level. The bench needs a serious rethink with ideally a hybrid halfback/wing or a hybrid halfback/ten or a hybrid ten/centre to release that need for two relatively small guys on the bench.

32 Go to comments

RW 1 hour ago

“He’s given Connacht everything” – Bundee Aki’s future, and an exciting tactical innovation

Starting a go fund me for Bundee to Leinster 😜

3 Go to comments

CO 1 hour ago

How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

Unbelievable, the penalty count was so lopsided in last week's first half I'm certain the conspiracy theorists have already had a field day.

25 Go to comments

JWH 1 hour ago

How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

Good idea, but to move a lock to 6 now with no previous experience save Scott Barrett (who is still our best lock) ahead of the 2nd best equal team in the world may cause more harm than good in terms of confidence, in both caoches and players.

Re lineout options, the ABs have the most innovative lineout in the world, with FOUR lineout options (Barrett, Vaai, Sititi, Savea), compared to Irelands maybe 2 (Beirne and Ryan). ABs will absolutely cause issues at the lineout, and definitely at scrum time. Those Irish props eat to much salad compared to our boys 💪

25 Go to comments

JWH 1 hour ago

Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I never said boring was bad, but it doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with the ABs style. The ABs 10 looks like this: a little magic, good offloads, tactical precision kicking, draw and pass, and a cool head to level it off.

A game manager isn't exactly necessary, as the ABs should all know what they are doing, and the 9 should be directing the forwards. However, considering the youth of our best 9s currently, a more vocal, directive, and logical player like Harry Plummer would make more sense than someone like DMac, who is in his own right a good 10, but tends to sit in wider channels where he can threaten the line more directly, so has less influence on the postioning of the narrower forwards.

32 Go to comments

Kia koe 2 hours ago

How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

Yep yep I agree

25 Go to comments

Icefarrow 2 hours ago

The ‘unsung hero’ who helped All Blacks’ bench make a telling difference

B-but all the armchair critics tell me he's useless and does little for the team but get penalised... This simply cannot be!

2 Go to comments

Thomas K 2 hours ago

England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

So you think you’d definitely have scored way more tries if it wasn’t for all the off the ball shots? 🤣🤣