9:50am Saturday 20th March 2010
By Tom Guest
WARRIORS director of rugby Mike Ruddock would not be in favour of rugby league-style rolling substitutions being implemented in the Guinness Premiership.
Following a recommendation from the RFU’s ‘Image of the Game’ task group in September that the use of rolling replacements could ‘simplify game management, improve player welfare and increase participation’, a decision has been made to trial the idea in this season’s County Championship.
The Bill Beaumont Cup, which will feature North Midlands, and the County Championship Shield will both feature a maximum of 12 player interchanges per team per game — the first competition in England to use the system.
However, Sixways chief Ruddock believes the idea should not be introduced at the highest level as the game is still coming to terms with a raft of recent alterations.
He said: “My first reaction is I think we’ve had a number of years of massive changes, firstly with the ELVs (experimental law variations) and now with the tackle area directives.
“If I’m being honest, I think it would be good to let things settle down for a few years and give the fans and everyone else the chance to get used to the recent changes.”
The International Rugby Board sanctioned the rolling subs trial at its council meeting in May 2009 and its use in the County Championship has now been approved by the RFU council.
The County Championship Shield will start on the weekend of May 1, followed by the Bill Beaumont Cup, currently held by Lancashire, the week after — with the finals at Twickenham Stadium on May 30.
IRB vice-chairman Bill Beaumont said: “The County Championship is an ideal tournament to trial rolling substitutions, as it has done with the ELVs in the past.
“You don’t know whether things will work unless you try them and I am looking forward to seeing how this one goes.”
Rob Briers, chair of the County Championship review group and RFU competitions, said: “All the coaches I have spoken to are saying ‘bring it on’ so there is certainly an appetite to try things.
“Using a finite, one-month competition at the end-of-the-season gives people a chance to see how it may or may not work at a reasonable level of rugby.”
Interchanges will only take place at stoppages and the full regulations will be available in due course.
Chris Cuthbertson, chair of the RFU laws sub-committee, added: “This is a wonderful opportunity to trial rolling substitutions in a single end of season competition to assess whether game management can be simplified and, as has been found in Scotland, participation can be increased by giving players more game time.
“There will be consultation at all levels of the game and there will not be a blanket implementation across England. It would be for each level of the game to determine if such a system would be beneficial for them.”
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