Former Irish referee Owen Doyle has once again demanded that World Rugby stop tinkering with the laws following another fantastic Six Nations weekend.<\/b><\/p>\n
In the third round of the historic competition, there was some superb rugby played with Ireland, Scotland and France emerging victorious.<\/p>\n
But before those matches had even taken place, Doyle was extolling the virtues of the sport in its current guise.<\/p>\n
Frustration with World Rugby<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful tournament, proof that there isn\u2019t really much wrong with the laws of the game,\u201d he wrote in his Irish Times column.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who wish to tinker with them must be resisted. Rugby union is not and must not become an all-singing, all-dancing game.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if that means disobliging the new World Rugby<\/a> chair, Brett Robinson, who seems to be in an almighty hurry to change things. World Rugby\u2019s constituent unions should not follow suit \u2013 there is absolutely no need.\u201d<\/p>\n Fast forward a week and Doyle watched Ireland<\/a> produce 80 minutes of spellbinding rugby as they hammered England<\/a> 42-21 in the Six Nations<\/a> at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.<\/p>\n The former Test official, who was also referee boss at the IRFU for two decades, has duly doubled down on his view and urged the governing body to keep the game as it is.<\/p>\n \u201cSurely, it\u2019s time for World Rugby\u2019s chair, Australian Brett Robinson, to recognise that it\u2019s time to call a halt to the law tinkerers,\u201d he wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir ideas are based only on what they imagine the game will become, and which we don\u2019t want in any case. It was a wondrous match \u2013 and that\u2019s the story of the Six Nations to date.<\/p>\n \u201cFull of contests, both individual and collective, and full of running rugby; these are all ingredients which make rugby union a great game.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Robinson isn\u2019t minded to get involved, there must be enough unions who will speak out \u2013 staying silent is not an option.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Absolutely no need for change\u2019 \u2013 Ex-referee urges top unions to \u2018disoblige\u2019 World Rugby boss<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n England\u2019s dominant scrum not a factor<\/p>\n There has been a determination from World Rugby, following on from a concerted effort by New Zealand and Australia, to depower the scrum.<\/p>\n After the governing body took away the option of a scrum following a free-kick, Super Rugby are now trialing two more laws which is designed to reduce the impact of that set-piece.<\/p>\n But as Doyle pointed out, England dominated in the front-row on Saturday and had Ireland under pressure for the majority of the match.<\/p>\n That came a week after the Red Rose props sent the Scotland scrum into reverse, but in both cases Steve Borthwick\u2019s men did not get close to their opponents on the scoreboard.<\/p>\n