Why rugby could be making its biggest leap in two decades - Tight Five with Elliott Smith

All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick (top) in action against England. Photo / AP

OPINION:

An observation...

This year’s under-20 World Cup feels like a harbinger for the future of rugby. Not in the way that they always are, where we see sure prospects for international rugby, strong domestic players and others who simply don’t make the cut as they age, but for what could usher in a new technological age for the sport and maybe the biggest leap the game has made since introducing a Television Match Official in the early 2000s.

The use of a bunker for TMO might swivel the way the game is officiated, with a view to using that at the World Cup later this year. And from then, is there any reason it wouldn’t be used on a permanent basis?

Add to that this week’s announcement around a smart ball being used that can detect forward passes, touch locations from kicks, whether the ball is over the line and if a lineout throw is straight. That information will be then fed to the TMO, which World Rugby says can “provide feedback” to the referee on ground.

A question...

That is the big question(s) with the smart ball and using AI. What’s the margin of error? Is it worth calling back a forward pass if it’s not visible to the naked eye?

Obviously it’s a trial, but there are plenty of questions around whether it is a good thing, including how quickly the decisions can be pinged from the balls to the TMO and back to the referee. Cricket has adapted to these questions with Hawkeye and the DRS, but rugby and contact sports have largely yet to do so.

A prediction...

Rugby has put a focus on being quicker this year. You’d hate to see a step back just because some technology is available.

It could see rugby become the most technologically advanced sport in the world, or it could absolutely exacerbate the things that we find frustrating about the modern game. Let’s hope there’s no Black Mirror nasties awaiting in the spirit of technology.

An explanation...

A version of the ball was actually used on last year’s end-of-season internationals in Europe, but the data was pumped back to broadcasters to explore details around kick distance and other metrics of the contest rather than being used in decision making.

There appeared to be nothing different around the shape, size or feel of the ball, although the most dystopian thing was seeing a whole bunch of balls being plugged into USB cords pre-game.

So have we got everything: shirts, boots, gumshield, USB lead for the match ball?? Yes really. This is what happens when you use techno-balls pic.twitter.com/ItKEze709u

— Andrew McKenna (@talkMacca) October 29, 2022

A suggestion...

Would anyone outside a couple of teams mind if we just skip the rest of the Super Rugby round robin? The next three weeks of Super Rugby feel like a giant holding pattern until the playoffs start.

Sure, there’s a bit of a jostle for home playoffs in the opening round, there’s a fight for a spot at the back end of the bloated top eight — albeit to probably get punted by the Chiefs in the first round — and there’s some fun games to come; the Moana Pasifika visit to Fiji next week should be incredible. But look for any competitive meaning and it’s a battle to find scenarios that are anything more than needing some serious dominoes to fall for it to happen (i.e. the Chiefs missing top spot).

It’s a feeling not helped by a dozen All Blacks being rested this week, but virtually everything that has any meaning has been settled already. The Blues would like to have a say and nab a home quarter-final, but on the evidence placed so far, would you consider them a top-four team?

All of which is a shame to say as there’s a legitimate argument last week was the most compelling regular season round since this iteration began last year.