By enforcing the present laws and trying out some new ones, the game's governing body can help avoid some of the negative tactics that were prevalent at the recent World Cup, writes Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.
"World Cups are landmarks. They are supposed to showcase the sport. By rights, they should constitute a four-yearly peak, showing off all that’s best about the game. And while the great global gathering just gone undoubtedly showcased New Zealand in all its glory, it cannot be said to have glorified rugby.
"The All Blacks and Wales were good to watch in the 2011 World Cup, and if you were absorbed by their progress, or indeed Ireland’s, there was plenty to enjoy. As noted previously, there were no classics a la the France-All Blacks knock-out clashes of 1999 and 2007, nor even the thrills and spills which the likes of Wales and Fiji provided four years ago when seeking space, offloading and running from everywhere, notably in their 38-34 nine-try feast.
"Instead, everybody appears to have mutated into something similar, with an overt emphasis on crash-test dummy rugby as players collide, with little space for the speedsters or the tricksters with dancing feet."
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