Hansen questions World Rugby's "wishy-washy" improvement suggestions

Former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen has questioned World Rugby’s approach in trying to improve the game after the governing body revealed the five recommendations made by its Shape of the Game forum.

The annual forum, which took place in London last month, has key leaders and stakeholders in the game gather to consider the future of the sport. In response to this year’s gathering, five recommendations were made for World Rugby’s consideration.

The areas of interest included speed and flow, language and presentation of the game, women’s game, player welfare and wellbeing, and disciplinary process review. However, speaking to Newstalk ZB’s D’Arcy Waldegrave, Hansen said the recommendations made sounded “a bit wishy-washy” to him.

“Without having all the detail behind them, I suppose that’s not fair. But their first one there about speed and flow of the game, there’s no mention of getting rid of TMOs and things like that that are stopping the game for so long,” he said.

In noting the speed and flow recommendation, Hansen pointed out part of that suggested speeding up the “use it” call by referees at the breakdown — something he believed was already being done.

“They’re doing that anyway. Are they really going to achieve what they want just scratching the surface, or are they going to go deep enough and actually do what the fans would love them to do?”

Hansen compared World Rugby’s process with that of NRL boss Peter V’landys, who he credited for taking a fan-first approach to the league and delivering a product that aligns with the desires of the audience.

While World Rugby operates on a larger scale than the NRL, Hansen argued the global body overcomplicated things.

“I’m not sure how often World Rugby go to their fans. In my time they never came to the coaches very often and just reading what they’ve written here, I don’t think it’s enough,” he said.

“Common sense is an overused word because it’s not that common. Sometimes we complicate things by searching for answers by overthinking the question. The question is, what do they want? What does our game need to make it faster and more enjoyable to watch for you as a fan? Or you as a player? You as a coach? You as a referee?

“Then compile the answers and [find] the common threads. Then it’s how can we create solutions to these common threads? Or how can we create a way to play the game that these common threads come together?”

Hansen encouraged World Rugby to be more adaptable and adjustable when it came to being willing to make changes to benefit the game — be that adding something new or taking things away if they’re not helping to deliver the best possible product.

“Yes, we’ve got little change happening here and there, but then someone will go ‘oh no we can’t change that because we’re in a [World Cup] cycle and it wouldn’t be right’, then they go and shoot themselves in the foot with those things anyway.

“The final was a classic example at the World Cup. You’re not allowed to go past two or three rucks with the TMO and they blow that out of the water and rule out a try. It’s one thing putting things in place and another thing delivering them, but if those things are inhibiting us, stop it. Be more flexible.”

Shape of the Game 2024 recommendations
Speed and flow: Focus on aspects that keep the game flowing, including speeding up the “use it” call by referees at the breakdown, removing repeated scrum options, expanding the remit of the shot clock, a review of the offside law from kicks, and explore moves to provide the halfback with greater space and protection at the base of scrums, rucks and mauls.

Language and presentation of the game: A renewed passion and urgency to focus on building rugby’s attention share via a fan-focused view of how the game is marketed, a consistent approach to presentation of the sport across all media environments, and a focus on the moments in the game that really engage fans.

Women’s game: A dedicated focus on the women’s game and adapting laws, recognising the unique characteristics, strengths and opportunities that exist to attract a new audience.

Player welfare and wellbeing: A player-driven approach to advances in welfare, including removal of the “croc roll” and examining the breakdown.

Disciplinary process review: Streamlining the sport’s disciplinary and sanctioning processes to aid efficiency, consistency and fan understanding.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission