Went to watch a game today at under 18s level, with the new rules for the community and junior games today. 'Wow' was my first impression.

The game was played between two fairly well matched teams, who are rivals. The previous games have always been great fun and everyone was really looking forward to it. That was dampened however during the first five minutes when it became clear it wasn't going to be allowed to be a classic. The players had been briefed beforehand not to criticise the referee for implementing the new rules and the spectactors had been warned not to moan about them as there were RFL representatives there. There was a massive interest in the percentage of penalties given for high shots and the referee, whilst giving a penalty for a high tackle a couple of times a minute, obsessed over penalties for anything else. Shepherds, incorrect play the balls, obstruction, tipping etc. They were 100% trying to 'prove' that the tackle height rule won't change the game as the percentage of penalties for high shots is similar. I'm not sure what the penalty stats for the game were, but I'd estimate around 60. The game was just never allowed to break out into any real rythym, neither side was able to build any momentum. The players were rusty as it was the first friendly of the season, but the general pattern of the game was: play the ball, penalty, kick. Play the ball, penalty, kick. Play the ball, tackle, play the ball knock on. I don't think there was a completed set for either side, other than tries. It was rare that teams got anywhere near the fifth tackle, in fact I'm not sure it happened once during the game. The referee admitted after the game that he had forgotten to even count the tackles several times. The players left the game very frustrated, lots of arm, shoulder knocks and a couple of head injuries too, just from impacts.

As a spectactor, the game was so, so different to watching a normal Under 18s/youth game. It was stop-start to the point of farce. People lost interest in the game a lot and started chatting, there was none of the usual atmosphere at the games or interest in the action. Most of the game was spent watching the lads stand round, waiting for another restart post-penalty or knock on. This in turn didn't help with the level of mistakes, as the game just never got going. A fascinating insight would be the GPS data from games like this. I'd think the players would be doing a fraction of the steps they did previously as the 'ball in play' time is absolutely minimal. If this is how the sport will be going forward (I'll admit it will improve as the players get used to it, how much is a big question though) it has changed from an non-stop action sport to a hybrid of Union and touch/tag. The tackle count is irrelevant and I think may well be removed in future, as it's genuinely pointless now. The frequency of the referee's input was staggering and what's left, if it's what I've watched today, isn't a sport you can sell for TV rights. It isn't entertaining enough to warrant it. If they are going to carry on with this approach, having penalties just advance the line 10m in future might be a better option, as it would remove the delays caused by kicking to touch, getting in position etc. It would at least speed things up and get the ball in play more.

A really disappointing element of it is how regimented and smug the RFL seem about it. They've made their mind up and any suggestion they are trialling this is a farce. The RFL representatives today left declaring it a big success. I'm not sure anyone invovled agrees with them.

Has anyone else been to a game yet this year? What were you impressions of the new rules?

Went to Leigh miners u16 loose 16-4 to Lock lane u15,ref stood in middle of pitch and demonstrated how to play the ball, First set 2 plays were played wrong but got away with it then he clamped down on it both teams penalised several times,The head high wasn't as bad as i was expecting but still twice as many as last year would have been handed out.

The new rules are cataclysmic and will destroy the game, whilst simultaneously making it no safer from a head injury perspective.

Bravo!

It seems that way. Three head injuries in one of the games I saw, two of them from leg tackles on players returning the ball from penalties or kick offs, one with quite serious symptoms. Not a great start. The arguement will be that players will learn to tackle lower and it will improve, but late footwork and the input of teammates is completely out of their control. Union's evidence is that it doesn't reduce the number of concussion injuries and it's hard to see how it will.

The big takeaway I have from this is that it's not even up for debate. The RFL have made up their minds and they've managed to brainwash the referees I've seen into being 110% behind it as well. When you even attempt to question it they go straight on the high horse and suggest you're a neanderthal who wants kids to have their heads mashed into a pulp or 'negative'.

They've just gone too hard, too quickly. If there is the possibility to make the sport safer, it needs to be looked at. But it needs to be balanced against the impact for spectactors and participants and they simply don't care one bit about that element. I think a caveat around the contact being dangerous could fix a lot of the farce here. Have the tackle height for signifcant contact under the armpit, fine. But have collar grabs, arm grabs and tackles where the tackler just receives the ball carrier into their torso allowed as they aren't remotely dangerous. Conceding penalties because you've put your hand on someone's sleeve isn't saving anyone from brain injury.

Maybe it’s because of the class action that they’re going overboard. That could bankrupt the game.

Player insurance costs have nearly doubled, and lawsuits are going to continue. The game can't carry on with the status quo, even if they wanted to.

Just do what I do and watch amateur rugby instead of rugby league. They have tweaked it a little but the game still flows well.

No season ticket sales for 2025 will start the alarm bells ringing. This Madness has to stop NOW!!!

That just seems overly simplistic to me when other sports exist and don't change their rules. The emergence of slapboxing across the globe also flies in the face of this idea. Present the insurance companies with the evidence that doing this won't change the incidence of head injury, or get a sponsor to pay for them. Let's face it, if the RFL is still able to afford them, they haven't changed much in the grand scheme of things. Get Sky to pay it, tell them the product is going to be terrible from next year unless they help.

But they haven't been down any of those routes. The RFL is as tinpot an organisation as you can find in professional sport. They've listened to one man and his agenda and even he admits it likely won't change anything in regards to concussion injuries. It's like asking Giorgio Tsoukalos to consult on the school history corriculum and then implementing all his changes without questioning any of them. What the RFL should have done is taken the report, asked for second opinions, researched further, consulted more stakeholders and had more trials. Implement the ones that are proven to work, ignore the rest, particularly if they have a big impact on the sport's very nature.

There are people who are blindly supporting this and claiming it's the only way. I understand that to a degree, we don't want to see players suffering at any point of their lives. But if these changes do reduce concussion injury, it's only going to be because the ball is in play for a fraction of the time because the players are setting up for 60+ penalties each game. When you reduce the game to that, like I witnessed again at the weekend, you've got to question if there's any point to the game. Abandon it and those still keen can play touch and push that. I've watched a lot of that recently and seeing scholarship players play it was an eye opener. With the right marketing that could be a big sport worldwide. I'm not sure watching Leigh v Salford with 71 penalties and Robert Hicks on Sky proclaiming it as a success has the potential to grow RL.

There is no potential to grow rugby league. Every single metric shows it’s dying. Saints tried to give it a shot in the arm by winning the WCC and Wigan have given it another shot in the arm by selling out the WCC but outside of those 2 teams no other club does anything. They are just all on the take.

Saints and Wigan should just look at joining the NRL