The 1991 World Cup winner, who won 101 caps and retired as the leading try scorer in Test rugby with 64, feels the game’s adopting of rugby league laws, former RL players as coaches and a focus on defence is making union appear like its sister sport.
“We’ve got rugby league laws in our game, but rugby league don’t care about us,” Campese said, on The Rugby Paper podcast.
“You’ve got Andy Farrell, an ex-rugby league player, who’s made Ireland all about defence. When they beat the All Blacks last year in New Zealand, they did not commit one player to a defensive ruck. So with four All Blacks on the ground it’s 15 vs 11.
“The game is very simple these days but it’s all about defence, it’s not about attack. Unfortunately the game my era used to play is a distant memory.”
Campese feels the sports have swapped in their priorities, with league becoming the more offensively-tuned game.
He believes that people on the wing, in the position he played, are being deprived of opportunities.
This story is from the August 20, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the August 20, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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