NRL icons Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler have made the explosive accusation that poor teams are quitting in defence under the new six-again rule, with Brisbane named and shamed.
A string of blowout scores have marred the NRL since its resumption, when the six-again rule replaced most ruck penalties.
While the free-flowing football has been exciting and well-received by fans, the players are clearly still adjusting to the major change; exacerbated by the switch back to one referee.
Johns told Wide World of Sports that in some instances, teams were giving up - perhaps the most serious accusation that can be levelled at professional players.
"They give in, simple as that. Turn their toes up," Johns said on Freddy and the Eighth.
"The new six-to-go, if you get a six-to-go and you get upwards of 10 tackles or even more, and then on the end of that set if you can get a repeat set, the momentum you get then for the next, say, five minutes is far greater than what we've seen in the past.
"It was always hard for the lesser teams to pull back that momentum, whether it's a big tackle or forcing an error. Now I see when teams do get that momentum, especially the better teams, the lesser teams just turn their toes up and go, 'This is too hard'."
Five teams - the Broncos, Titans, Bulldogs, Warriors and Dragons - have been beaten by 20 points or more since the NRL resumed with the new six-again rule. All of those teams are in the bottom eight, with the Dragons, Titans and Warriors making up the bottom three.
Johns named Brisbane, beaten by a combined 93-6 in their past two games, as an obvious offender with regards to giving up in defence. The Broncos had only 39 per cent of possession in that game, meaning they were defending for the remaining 61 per cent of play.
"It's all too hard. They haven't got the starts right in the last two weeks against the Roosters and also Parramatta, but then when it's got too hard, they just give up," Johns said.
"There was a run there from Isaac Liu, when [Luke] Keary scored. He got the ball, Isaac's not the biggest or most robust, he just jinked and went straight through and there was no shoulders put in there.
"That was soft and that's a word you never want to use on a rugby league field.
"There's excuses, they're saying they're inexperienced but the club, they're the ones who decided to get rid of all the experienced players, so there's no excuses."
NSW coach Fittler said that younger players were doing it toughest under the new rule, also accusing defenders of quitting.
"I think what you'll find is inexperience is really shining out," Fittler said on Freddy and the Eighth.
"What happens is, a lot of players haven't been on the end of where the game's jut coming at you so fast and they just get overwhelmed. Before you know it, the other team's scored three or four tries and they just give in."
Fittler said that the six-again rule had radically changed the dynamics between attack and defence; with the NRL's hope for less wrestling and more fatigue coming to fruition.
"All the old footy was all off set plays," Fittler said.
"So if they were a little bit tired, they'd just hold someone down, they'd give a penalty and they'd walk back and the team would get a breather and they'd go, 'Righto, we now know how we can defend or what we've got to do, because we've trained it'. You've got to think on your feet now."
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/six-again-rule-andrew-johns-accuses-teams-of-quitting-in-defence/84db34bd-8b80-44be-8dbf-e85b1f120d45
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