News
- 2011October 4
Props campaign for looser shirts
Props campaign for looser shirtsProps should be allowed to wear looser fitting rugby t shirts than their team-mates, it has been suggested.
A number of props have at this year's Rugby World Cup have made the suggestion, saying that they are unable to grip skin-tight rugby shirts as well during the scrum.
Although it's largely agreed by the majority of professionals that skin-tight rugby shirts have allowed for a faster-paced and safer game, it has been proposed that allowing props to wear looser shirts could decrease the amount of collapsed scrums.
Speaking to ninemsn.com.au, Argentina prop Marcos Ayerza said: "I feel that tight shirts are not helping for the amount of collapsed scrums. As a loosehead I find it hard to bind and attack a prop when he's got a very tight shirt. It's something to have a look at by every team, the regulation should allow the prop to have a bit looser jersey."
New Zealand prop Ben Franks, England's Matt Stevens and France forward Fabien Barcella are amongst the professionals to have discussed the issue in the past few days.
In an interview with The New Zealand Herald, Barcella claimed that fashion was important as function in their team's decision to switch to skin-tight jerseys.
He said: "If the fashion was old style jerseys we would go back to it. Fashion always has an effect."
