Antoine Dupont has exploited a loophole in the World Rugby laws.Credit:Getty
“The successful teams are very good at adapting to laws and manipulating them to get the best for the game,” Chapman said. “So it’s not about stopping teams that are really smart. There are so many laws in the game,that sometimes with the nuances of it all,if a team exploits it and it starts to catch on,it can be quite negative to the game and this[Dupont’s law] is one of them but as I’ve said before,it’s still a trial.
“We still don’t know what the accumulative effects of this[trial] will be. There might be some unintended consequence that someone hasn’t thought of,but we think that we’ve got it all covered and we think it should open the game up and be a real positive.”
Waratahs five-eighth Tane Edmed started using Dupont’s law last year in Super Rugby,but feels a change is needed to get more fans into stadiums.
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“I completely understand and support the rule change,especially in Australia where rugby probably needs a little bit of a boost at the moment,” Edmed said.
“From analysing the game,I think it will bring in counter-attacking rugby a lot more because now the forwards are forced to move a bit more,which will bring fatigue into the game,which will open up attacking opportunities.