England head coach Steve Borthwick is on a collision course with one of his own players after hitting out at a new World Rugby law. Earlier this month, the authority announced a crackdown on ’escort runners’ during games, which refers to players who impede opponents as they chase after high kicks.
The regulation has been criticised by Borthwick, who argued the change could have dangerous consequences.
“You don’t want to turn rugby union into Aussie rules,” he said on Friday.
“I thought our game was in pretty good shape. There has been a fundamental change here. No players have played with it, and we’re now putting it on to high-level Tests that are effectively the biggest stage of World Rugby other than the World Cup.”
But his starting full-back for Saturday’s crucial clash with South Africa has publicly disagreed. Freddie Steward, picked ahead of George Furbank in one of four changes to the starting XV dramatically beaten by Australia, is relishing the ‘challenge’ the new rule will bring.
“It’s a brilliant law change,” said the Leicester Tigers player. “It brings back that genuine one-on-one contest in the air that we haven’t seen for a while. That’s an exciting facet of the game.
“It’s an exciting challenge for us, especially at the back because you look forward to those aerial contests. It’s proper one-on-ones now. You don’t have any blockers or obstructions, so it’s something to get excited about.”
Since rugby turned professional in 1995, aerial contests have been the subject of stricter refereeing. Making contact with an opponent in the air, even if not deliberate, can now result in a red card if officials deem it to be dangerous.
It’s a far cry from the amateur era, where full-backs were often subjected to brutal treatment from opponents when trying to cope with ‘Garryowen’ style kicks. But it’s still a tactic regularly deployed by world champions South Africa, who edged out England 16-15 in the semi-finals in France before going on to beat New Zealand in the final.
Steward, 23, started the clash in Paris. And ahead of his 32nd cap, he urged his side to take the game to the Springboks as they seek their first win of what has been a frustrating Autumn campaign so far.
“The Springboks bring a lot of contests to the game. Up-front, physically and in the air, they have got footwork on the outside and speed and we have got to front up,” he added. “We are never going to be a team that sits on the back foot and lets the challenge come at us. We have to tackle it head on.”
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