One of the newest law variations which has proven the most effective is perhaps the 50:22 kicking strategy, which allows the attacking team to gain territorial advantage through the boot.
Modern-day defensive structures have made it increasingly difficult for teams to get over the gainline as easily as they could before, leading to new variations being implemented by World Rugby to help speed up the game.
As evidenced in the early stages of the variations usage, teams are finding better ways to gain the crucial territory needed to take points in the opposition’s 22.
The variation states that a team which kicks from inside their own half and into the opposition’s 22 gains the line-out instead of the previous ruling which gave the defending side possession.
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This tactic has already lent itself to some of the biggest boots in the game, but it’s easy to see how much more important the strategy will be in the future.
Players such as Stuart Hogg, Anthony Bouthier and Elliott Daly have all produced wurlitzers to great use over the years and now their skills will likely be rewarded in the best possible fashion.
Purists may not feel this new variation is in the true nature of the game, but one thing is for sure, the game will become a far more strategically-focused one than it already is.
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