What have been some of the changes to rugby union in the last 20 years?
Such as rules, equipment, clothing, tactics, trainings and sport science related changes
1. Professionalism in 1996. For about ten years rugby’s administrators were totally reluctant to allow the game to go professional, had they not done so the game would be dead. Nowadays money runs eveything in the game and their is a market for full-time professional players.
2. South Africa’s 1995 world cup victory. One of the most significant moments in modern sports as Nelson Madela used the national rugby team to reinstill pride and patriotism back into the nation, capped off with an upset extra time victory in the final and the moment after the game when the white and coloured players bound together in prayer
3. Expansion of northern/southern hemisphere provincial competitions. The international calendar hasn’t really changed but the Guiness premiership and the other northern leagues have become very global while the super 14 continues to grow and develop a culture distinct from the north
4. ELV’s. Even though many of them are being eradicated thanks to England, it still addressed many of the issues brought to light by no.5 and gave us a look at how good and in some cases how bad the game can be
5. Clive Woodward’s England. For better or worse changed the way the game is played by playing the percentages, focussing on ball retention, set piece strength and taking 3 points whenever it was on offer.
6. Rod Macqueen’s Wallabies. Precursor to Woodward, first team to conduct itself in a strictly professional manner as Macqueen ran the team like a business.
7. Jonah Lomu – First global superstar of rugby, has to be included, put the game on the map
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