While top level rugby regularly produces massively entertaining games, there is a sense that the spectacle on show could be improved with some minor rule tweaks.
The 'Dupont law' is something that has caused quite a bit of debate in recent times, with the authorities now looking to close that particular loophole. It is likely that other law changes will also be considered.
In fact, one big name referee has suggested a couple that could be worth looking at.
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French referee suggests two major rugby rule changes
Mathieu Raynal has been one of the best referees in rugby for a number of years, with the Frenchman announcing recently that he will retire from officiating this summer.
As someone who has spent so long at the top level of the sport, he also has a good insight as to what rule tweaks would improve the game moving forward.
Speaking to AFP, Raynal provided two law changes he would make in order to increase the ball-in-play time in rugby.
There are two things I’d like to see to increase the ball-in-play time. That we limit the time it takes to set a scrum to 30 seconds, that we put in a shot clock like for penalties and conversations.
There are too many replacements that come onto the field in the second half, I feel it breaks up the flow of a match.
I would be in favour of having more people on a team sheet, 30 players for example, but we limit the number of replacements to five or six per match.
These suggestions do make some sense, especially the time limit for scrums. The spectacle in quite a few high level rugby games has been affected by long gaps in the play due to messy scrums, something no supporters enjoys.
In saying that, a suggestion to reduce the amount of substitutes would not go down well in many quarters, especially in an era when the physical demands placed on players are increasing all the time. The majority of those changes tend to be focused on the pack and front row, especially in an era when teams are going with a 6-2 or 7-1 split on the bench.
Judging by these comments, it certainly seems that Mathieu Raynal is not the biggest fans of the influence that front row players are having on the game at the moment.
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