Law-tinkerers are a danger to the game

THE odds on Owen Farrell travelling to the World Cup as England’s starting No.10 are even shorter than the lifespan of a European Champions Cup format, which means three things: watertight kicking and defence, an ocean of attitude and, according to his critics, the imaginative scope of a whelk. How might we describe this style of rugby? Fazball. Owzat?

- CHRIS HEWETT

For the avoidance of doubt, your columnist bows to no one in his support for the current national captain, who should be in the run-on side all week, every week, and twice on Sundays. But there is no disputing the fact that whatever Fazball may or may not be, it ain’t Bazball. Never has a single consonant encapsulated such a gulf in sporting attitude.

None of which will matter a tinker’s if England mark the 20th anniversary of their global triumph in Sydney by winning the Webb Ellis Trophy for a second time, rather closer to home in Paris. It’s not as if the Australian cricketers are queuing outside the nearest confession box to beg forgiveness for Usman Khawaja’s obduracy or Pat Cummins’ conservative field settings at Edgbaston. They prevailed in a genuinely great Ashes Test and are one-up in the series. Done. Dusted. End of.

Yet while the reductive debate over playing styles and philosophies rages on, with England playing the virtuous heroes and the tourists typecast as moral vacuums, last week’s unforgettable events told us a different tale, which went to the heart of professional spectator sport and the way it is presented to us. Is rugby’s so-called governing class paying attention? We can only hope and pray, for it is being repeated here for their benefit.

Test cricket has seen its share of changes down the decades, from restrictions on the number of fielders behind square on the legside to the curate’s egg confection of the DRS system, but to all intents and purposes, the game remains the same. Bradman would have recognised everything on offer last week within seconds of taking his seat in the pavilion. Sobers, currently 86 not out, could probably play a game tomorrow and have the reverse ramp shot in his repertoire by tea.