Interestingly,
well away from the watchful eyes of the
RFU, in Australia and New Zealand the kicker
was allowed to place the ball on the ground
to show the placer exactly how he wanted
the ball positioned. This "irregularity"
was stopped though after the visit of the
1899 British team, who clarified the RFU's
interpretation for the local authorities.
Meanwhile,
the "Northern Union" (rugby league)
in England was looking to make it easier
for goal kickers. More successful goals
would feed the growing popularity for "star"
goal kickers. Always at the mercy of a poor
"placer", the kickers argued they
themselves should have sole control.
By
the time rugby league arrived in Australia
(1908), kickers were allowed to place the
ball themselves if they preferred. In conjunction
with this change, the defending teams were
no longer permitted to charge at goal kickers
attempting penalties, conversions or a kick
from a "mark".
In
the decades that followed the "nick"
to rest the ball upon grew into the use
of soil from elsewhere on the ground. This
was eventually added to by the permitted
use of sawdust or sand, kept ready outside
the touchlines.
The
increased value and importance of tries
over goals from the late 1980s onwards,
has seen the goal kicking process allowed
to be "corrupted" so that the
rules in this part of the game have become
increasingly lax.
The ball has gradually lost touch with the
ground, providing far easier kicking conditions.
Initially the use of dampened mounds of
sand provided an advantage by greatly elevating
the ball. By the late 1990s the use of sand
fell out of favour when it was replaced
by the uniform conditions offered by kicking
tees.
In
modern rugby league the ball no longer has
to be kicked from the ground for a goal
to count or for the game to restart (including
25m-line "optional" punt kicks).
One of the original rules of "rugby
football" has now been lost. The vagaries
of the condition of the ground's surface,
and the doubt about the kicker being able
to "hit the right spot" on the
ball, have been taken out of the game.
The
use of a "placer" can still be
seen occasionally when strong winds are
about. However, their purpose is to hold
the ball on the kicking tee, rather than
on the ground as originally intended.
The
use of a trainer to hold the ball is a breach
of the rules - only a player may carry out
this task (see Section 6 of the ARL laws
and notes contained therein). It would also
be a gross degradation of the basis of the
sport if a trainer were allowed to participate
in a scoring function of the game.
Interestingly,
while American football is criticised for
allowing touchdowns (tries) to be scored
without placing the ball on the ground,
its goal kicking still retains the use of
a "placer" to hold the ball on
the ground at the last moment, and the prohibition
of a kicking tee or other aid.
In
League and Union, under the practised skills
of modern kickers using a contrived aid
(kicking tee), much of the uncertainty of
goal kicking has been removed. The fundamental
rule of "rugby football" that
goals can only be scored by kicking the
ball off the ground has been ignored, and
a further link with the original basis of
the sport has been lost.
