[urlhttp://superleague.co.uk/statistics_player.php?season=2008&stat=forty_twenty&hs1=2009&hp1=153&hs2=2009&hp2=923[/url
Look through the SL era, there seem to be less and less 40-20's every year. Maybe in the modern game it is too fast flowing for a 40-20?

Maybe there's just a lack of kicking skill?

Or Kickers have less time to go for a 40/20,

This is Superleague.

There's no room for skill.

Quite, it's all about dummy half scoots. That's what the fans want to see. <[icopyright Stuart Cummings 2008/9[/i>

Especially if the hooker can run behind a retreating offside player (or an even higher level of skill - actually place a hand in the middle of his back) while the commentators crow about how fast his rugby brain is working!

This is a negative tactic IMO. Watching Cunningham against Warrington on Friday constantly expecting to win penalties from these kind of scoots - too many British clubs (especially Saints last year) are reliant on these tactics.

At least the referees have given up on making sure players play the ball 'properly' - to me this is an admission of guilt after the rule was interpreted differently in the World Cup. Good to see them not go back to the 2008 interpretation though.

Tim Smith got one last week and I think Thorman got on on Friday. It's not really a tactic coaches use imo. They would rather play it safe.

I think wingers and full backs have got better at defending them tbh

Does anyone see this as a positive tactic at all? Winning the ruck has become the be all and end all. In the NRL they've gone the way of wrestling holds whereas over here it's all about the speed and winning a penalty.

In the latest rugby league world Maurice Lindsay of all people talked about how a rule change to outlaw dummy half running might be a way forward.

It's an idea, at the moment we aren't developing skilful backs and halfbacks partly because of an over emphasis at the ruck.

I agree it's a point I've been making for a while.

Perhaps a rule limiting dummy half runs to one or two per set of 6 tackles could work - if the defending team catch the 'scooter' in possession on the 2nd or 3rd scoot the referee could award an immediate hand over.

Please don't give the refs another thing to count.

Ok in theory but it'd be hard for refs to keep count on that and tackles in each set plus ref the rest of the game. If we had a 2 ref system that'd work.

Still I think there's a case for getting rid completely. A while ago playing the ball to yourself was almost totally outlawed. Why not this?

Banning it completely has merits, provided the rule was agreed in the NRL.

What would the likes of Roby and Diskin do in a game?



I noticed Higham's distribution for Warrington was quite erratic - players like that could be forced to improve their skills through the introduction of this rule. And no more Cunningham specials where big hookers pinch cheeky tries barging over from dummy half...

Maurice Lyndsay may well be onto something



On the down side does it give unfit players like Solomona an opportunity to have a rest at marker without being penalised?

Just think, players would have to create gaps for each other using skills rather than running at a defence that was backpedalling! Forwards would have to do more than simply just hit the ball up!

Sounds a bit more like RL to me.