Former Irish rugby international Stephen Ferris has expressed his frustration with the current state of the sport, describing it as 'broken' due to issues with officiating and long games. Ferris's comments came after Ireland's 24-13 defeat by South Africa in their Autumn Nations Series match.
According to Ferris, World Rugby needs an urgent review to address the increasing stop-start nature of international rugby games. He believes that the current refereeing system is not working effectively, leading to a 'mess' on the pitch. The issue was further highlighted when referee Matthew Carley showed Ireland five yellow cards during the game.
Ferris also expressed his disappointment with the length of modern rugby games, which he feels are becoming too long and slow-paced. He believes that players and spectators alike are losing interest due to the increasing stoppages in play. "World Rugby needs to find a way to not make a game of rugby 132 minutes long," he said.
Ferris's comments echo those of other rugby players who have expressed frustration with the current state of the sport. The issue is particularly relevant for Ireland, which will face France in their opening Six Nations match in February and currently looks like one of the weaker teams in the competition.
The former international has also warned that Ireland may struggle if they get off to a slow start against France, citing his own experiences of struggling with the French team in the past.
According to Ferris, World Rugby needs an urgent review to address the increasing stop-start nature of international rugby games. He believes that the current refereeing system is not working effectively, leading to a 'mess' on the pitch. The issue was further highlighted when referee Matthew Carley showed Ireland five yellow cards during the game.
Ferris also expressed his disappointment with the length of modern rugby games, which he feels are becoming too long and slow-paced. He believes that players and spectators alike are losing interest due to the increasing stoppages in play. "World Rugby needs to find a way to not make a game of rugby 132 minutes long," he said.
Ferris's comments echo those of other rugby players who have expressed frustration with the current state of the sport. The issue is particularly relevant for Ireland, which will face France in their opening Six Nations match in February and currently looks like one of the weaker teams in the competition.
The former international has also warned that Ireland may struggle if they get off to a slow start against France, citing his own experiences of struggling with the French team in the past.
The current state of rugby is kinda a mess, you know? These stop-start games are getting so boring I can barely watch 'em 
. And don't even get me started on the refereeing, it's like they're not even paying attention to the game 
. Five yellow cards in one game?! That's just ridiculous. I feel for Stephen Ferris, he's trying to make a point here. The game needs some serious changes, you know? Not just to address the issues, but also to keep it interesting for the fans. And let's be real, 132 minutes is way too long 
. I mean, what's the point of that?! Get back to the basics of rugby and make it exciting again! 
. The stop-start nature of rugby matches is getting ridiculous and it's affecting not just the players but the fans too 
. Five yellow cards in one match? That's crazy! It's hard to stay engaged when you're watching a game that's constantly interrupted by stoppages.
. I mean, who wants to watch a rugby match for hours on end? Not me, that's for sure 
. Otherwise, it'll be tough for teams like Ireland to compete in the Six Nations 
.
. I've seen some rubbish refereeing in my time, but that was on another level.
It's not like it's rocket science.
. I feel like rugby's trying to be this super competitive and physical sport but at the same time they're having problems with stoppages in play? It just seems so counterintuitive - they want players to be tough and aggressive but then they're penalizing them for stuff that used to not get called 
i mean ferris played for ireland back when ronaldo scored that famous goal at wembley stadium 
in 2008 lol just a joke but seriously world rugby needs to step up their game. five yellow cards? thats ridiculous! and 132 minutes long games? thats like watching paint dry 
I feel so bad for Stephen Ferris, you know? He's just trying to protect his sport and make it better, but it sounds like he's really frustrated with all the issues going on 
. I mean, who wants to watch a game that feels like it's dragging on forever? 
. I hope World Rugby takes his concerns seriously and makes some changes soon 
, because if they don't, players like Ferris might be speaking out a lot more... and it won't be pretty 
.
! I mean, I love the sport but this stop-start thing is killing me. It feels like they're more interested in giving out yellow cards than actually letting the game flow. And don't even get me started on how long these games are - 132 minutes?! That's just ridiculous 
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can't we just get the ball moving already?! 
Matthew Carley needs to go 
. Can't wait to see how Ireland does in the Six Nations, but let's be real, they're gonna struggle 
I MEAN, 132 MINUTES OF GAME TIME IS JUST TOO LONG!!! SOMEBODY NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A BETTER WAY TO KEEP PLAY STOPPED WHEN IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, LIKE TRYES!!! AND REFERRING TO MATTHEW CARLEY SHOWING IRLAND FIVE YELLOW CARDS IN ONE GAME JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT THE CURRENT REFEREEING SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY BROKEN!!! 
. It's like they're more focused on penalizing players than actually letting them play the game. And don't even get me started on how slow-paced these games are getting 
.
it's like they're not even trying to finish matches anymore! 132 minutes is just ridiculous 
. And don't even get me started on the length of the games... 132 minutes is way too long for a sport that's supposed to be fast-paced and intense