1. Digital induced cowardice
While I’m not the first in this column to have a moan about the proliferation of mobiles round the post-game dinner table, I’m continually frustrated with a side effect of this that isn’t often mentioned. With the reliance of so many on WhatsApp and iMessage for communication, basic conversational skills seem to be disappearing. I’ve had grown men have their mum speak to me about selection and players moving on from the club over text message as they didn’t have the courage to speak about hard things in person. This trend, especially among younger players, worries me.
TRP verdict: Talk to me about it! To these guys, showing some character is probably mistaken as a reference to the length of a twitter message.
2. PR over performance
Nowadays we all have, at our fingertips, the same tools and reach that an advertising agency would have had a few years ago. As a result so much time now seems to be invested in building a personal brand at the expense of actually being good at anything. The classic rugby example is the highlights video. We get sent link after link each year to these, packed with Hollywood level effects. Having been catfished in the past we now quickly move on. It’s pretty clear that if players invested the time and effort into their training that they do into their PR they probably wouldn’t need the videos.
TRP verdict: This gets the editor’s pick, too.
3. Tackle height laws
Modern law development seems to be focused on creating an illusion of safety at the expense of player and spectator enjoyment. Children grow up wanting to play rugby for the big hits and, while safety should always be considered, I’m yet to see any compelling data about how lowering the tackle height has improved this. Anecdotally I have seen far more injuries from chop tackles, for the tackler and the ball carrier, than any big shots up top. Interestingly RL has chosen an opposite route, removing the chop tackle and not being as strict with tackle height. If these trends continue, I know which version I’d rather watch.
TRP verdict: It’s about time someone tackled this head-on!
