English rugby should strive for more intellect, not more entertainment in the coming year says Stuart Barnes.
Players must improve their impact without the ball as much as with it
This New Year resolutions lark is far too sober for my tastes but what the hell - here are a few on behalf of English rugby.
The first concerns the nature of the game itself. 2009 was not the year of beautiful rugby in England. Performances at both country and club level frequently stooped to gargoyle depths.
The most obvious resolution is to produce more entertainment. That's a resolution to unite directors of rugby, players and referees. But it would also be the wrong way for the sport to travel. Friends with deep roots in the sport keep espousing the cause of 'entertainment'.
Rugby, I am told, is now part of the entertainment business and must compete at whatever level 'entertainment' sets.
In this day the quality is low brow to the point of Stygian. Off the field it means the tyranny of the X Factor with its low grade degradation of music. It is - and was at Harlequins - on the 27th December style over substance.
Superficial
A rugby version of this is a simplistic one with heaps of tries, obsession with personalities and a lack of subtlety to a sport that's difficulty for some is its charm and allure for others.
It's where Super 14 headed for a while before refereeing interpretations swung so violently from the side of the attacker to now, where we have found ourselves mired in the morass of the breakdown with too much advantage accorded the tackler.
The laws never changed just the International Board's suggestions to its referees. Such is the danger of superficial thought.
It is not more entertainment required but more intellect. On behalf of all the professional coaches in England let us resolve to concentrate on playing as much with as without the ball.
This and not some ill conceived interpretation at the breakdown is the prime issue of substance. Resolve this and we can have a game with guts and glory.
Inspiration
Instead of the eternal tedium of the aimless kick and chase, teams will plot how to punish the dull witted kick. This is not some wide-eyed piece of utopian thinking as the negative coaches would have us believe. Even the referees are conspiring on behalf of the counter attackers.
In recent months they have been ordered to penalise the forwards who have mastered the art of taking offside positions leaving the catcher with an eyeful of opposing shirts slowly advancing across the field.
The strong refereeing makes a difference and allows teams like Northampton to benefit even more from the ball kicked to them by sides that prefer to destroy than create. Of course it takes some coaching to create intelligent back threes capable of judiciously choosing when and when not to counter but isn't that what coaches are paid for? Technical competence is the climbing frame for inspiration.
Responsibility
Regular Premiership watchers will be alarmed at the fall off in terms of such competence. Come on coaches, create. Oh and while Brendan Venter was not 100% right, let us see less guessing and prescriptive refereeing while we are at it.
For the players, a resolution not to turn to the touch line every time a decision must be made. Curse the coaches who have created this vacuity. The time has come for professional players to demand the responsibility of being elite performers in their profession. If they cannot decide whether or not to kick for goal how will they make that
