Wynne Gray: Rugby needs fresh thinking to bring back the old charm of the contest

Do referees need to take a closer look at the tackle ball area? Photo / Dean Purcell

Law 15.5 states that a tackled player must release the ball immediately. Not after several seconds cradling it against his torso until teammates arrive, not after pretending to release it and getting to his feet, not after wrestling with an opponent who is looking for the turnover.

Before Super rugby began its 20th edition we were told referees would target the tackle ball area.

They'd noted concerns from coaches and players and sorting out the troubles was a priority.

Tacklers who were slow to move would be penalised and there would be a heavy focus on the work of other defenders. Is this all in the obsessive name of continuity? The old charm of rugby - because, let's face it, much of the gloss has vanished with the modern interpretations and methods - was to offer a contest.

Tackles were another area of the game where opponents could compete for the ball just as they did in mauls, scrums and lineouts.

The law has not changed, ball carriers are required to let the ball go immediately when they are grounded, although referees have adopted a different interpretation of law 15.5.

Tackled players know they can do a few forward rolls with a tuck, lie on the ball or incubate it slowly between their legs until some support arrives. It remains one of the blights on the game which has brought public scorn from such an eminent figure as All Black coach Steve Hansen.

He laments how rugby's obsession with defence has altered the flow in games, reduced the number of tries and encouraged teams to kick more. That was not a rosy prospect heading into a World Cup at the end of the year.

Hansen is on the money with his observations, but World Cups also foster negative play.

There are no bonus points for four tries, no one gets extra points for style.

The objective is to win and the best low risk method is to hoof the ball away, apply pressure and kick your penalties.

Value is rare from throwing the ball around inside your 40m line. It might look attractive but a mistake against a quality opposition defensive side offers them a kick at goal or the chance to create an attack from a scrum.

Best to sink the boot into the leather and play the game between the two 40m lines or something really numbing like that.

Hansen is worried about rugby's profile and there are enough other high-calibre people with similar concerns to warrant changes after the World Cup. They won't occur before the decider on October 31 but it should be the start of some fresh thinking in the game.