From an Irish perspective Rugby is in pretty good shape at the moment but changes are coming as a result of a ‘Shape of the Game’ Forum which took place in London through last week.
It has agreed a number of recommendations in terms of rules, marketing and speeding up the game “to reimagine the spectacle and grow rugby’s share of attention within an increasingly competitive global sports and entertainment market.”
The introduction of new men’s and women’s global calendars from 2026, including new competitions such as the Nations Championship, and expanded Rugby World Cups, is the driver of the change.
While previous editions of the Shape of the Game forum delivered issue-specific short-term advancements, the 2024 edition is an important milestone in a new law review cycle and had a specific focus on a central mission of driving fan acquisition and retention by increasing relevance and accessibility.
Those words may strike unease into the mind of traditionalists but the forum was drawn from a wide cross section of those with the interests of the sport at heart.
Playing, coaching, officiating, competitions and fan experts representing five specialist committees (men’s and women’s high performance, professional game, professional leagues and community rugby) took part and were urged to view the game through a fan-focused lens.
Framing the discussions was a detailed review of the latest men’s, women’s and community playing, officiating and welfare trends as well as feedback from technology and audience experts and fans.
In particular, delegates focused on addressing barriers to fan engagement – dead ball time, the elements that interrupt the flow of the game, technology, the terminology and marketing of the sport as a whole.
The group agreed the following key actions areas for World Rugby to explore in collaboration with key stakeholders prior to a detailed plan being presented to the federation’s Executive Board for consideration:
Shape of the Game 2024 recommendations
Speed and flow: focus on aspects which keep the game flowing including speeding up the ‘use it’ call by referees at the breakdown, removing repeated scrums options, expanding the remit of the shot clock, a review of the offside law from kicks, and explore moves to provide the scrum-half with greater space and protection at the base of scrum, rucks and mauls.
Language and presentation of the game: a renewed passion and urgency to focus on building rugby’s attention share via a fan-focused view of how the game is marketed, a consistent approach to presentation of the sport across all media environments and a focus on the moments in the game that really engage fans.
Women’s game: a dedicated focus on the women’s game and adapting laws, recognising the unique characteristics, strengths and opportunities that exist to attract a new audience.
Player welfare and wellbeing: a player-driven approach to advances in welfare, including a removal of the ‘croc roll’ and examining the breakdown.
Disciplinary process review: streamlining the sport’s disciplinary and sanctioning processes to aid efficiency, consistency and fan understanding.
“Shape of the Game 2024 represents an important milestone in defining the future of our sport,” said World Rugby Chair Bill Beaumont.
“It is born from a need and opportunity to grow rugby’s audience by considering how the on-field product and off-field experience can cement long-term growth within a new calendar that delivers long-term certainty of exciting content from expanded Rugby World Cups to new global competitions.”
“It is fantastic to see such a strong desire from all stakeholders – players, coaches, match officials, competition owners, unions and regions – to evolve the game to set us up for success, not just at the elite level, but at the community game. I would like to thank everyone for their forward-thinking and collaborative contributions.”
“Rugby is in an attention economy,” added CEO Alan Gilpin.
“The attractiveness of the product in all its forms, combined with the excitement of the event experience, the content we create and stories we tell, is central to the sport’s growth as a whole.”
“We will not look at actions or law tweaks in isolation, rather consider the changes we should make to definitively move the needle to make the game more relevant, attract new fans and deepen engagement with existing fans, and simplify the sport to make it more accessible.”
It will be interesting to watch on as the changes crystallise and come before the decision makers over the next year.
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