Why ping-pong?

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by bellnier

15.4.c allows tackler to pick up ball from either side.

But I see 15.6 still has those "from directly behind" provisions applicable to everyone else. So you're saying all they did was liberalize that one little bit -- when it had been the case until just a few years ago that any player on his feet could play the ball from any direction after a tackle, if no offside line had formed for some reason -- and now people are complaining the ball's being kicked away too often? Why don't they go watch RL, American, or Canadian football? Are their complaints exaggerated, or is it really ping-pong because of some more important factor?

[bellnier]

Here's a site I just now found addressing the ping-pong issue:

contraversial tackle law - The Rugby Referees' Forum

Note that it starts with a quote similar to what I and others have suggested:

Quote:
The IRB council meets in Dublin, where the Rugby Football Union, among others, will raise the issue of clarifying the tackle law which was passed at the council meeting in July. This states that the tackler is allowed to play the ball from any direction if he is on his feet, increasing the risk of the attacking team losing possession in dangerous areas.