The real problem is the length of the field. There's too much time wasted by teams trying to get to the other end, resulting in kicks, scrums, penalties and the rest. Simply reduce the field to two red zones and let them go at it for 80 mins, no stoppages
Having only one ball seems kind of like a real limiting factor too…
I kind of agree but on the other hand I think its a necessary evil to get the right call, in theory anyway. But they definitely need to explore ways to do that quicker for sure.
If thats the only thing slowing the game down then I think its in good shape as far as quick play goes.
By any metric you can measure the speed of the game has not changed in the last 10 years. Commentators just say it’s faster, and the punters believe their drivel.
There is also some data showing that the extra “ball in play” time for 2021 had been offset by lost time due to blowout scores (since high scores = more video ref + more conversion attempts + more walks back to kick off).
I’d like to see some stats on game length versus 10 years, 20 years, 30 years ago. As in, average elapsed time from first half kick off to full time siren. I reckon they’ve added a good 20 minutes of “nothing” time since the 90’s. Replays, stoppages, scrum clock, challenge, committee meeting before every scrum, dropout clock etc. NRL half time is also never just 10 minutes any more.