Quote: Slugger McBatt "It'll slow the game down.
If a team is struggling to break away from their line, under the current rules they hoof it down field and the side who defended well can carry on with their momentum and run it back in.
The new rule means that a side will go for touch and a scrum or tap will result for the kicking side, if they get it beyond the forty (assuming it makes it). Don't forget, however, that there is a lot of room between the forty metre line and the try line so the same level of accuracy isn't required.
It rewards poor attack and penalises good defence, and if successful will slow the game down rather than the current situation (although teams can still go for touch now, I suppose, and use a scrum to regroup).'"
Agree with this and RL may well start to look more like Union, with long clearance kicks from the back becoming ever more common.
It's almost too much reward for kicking from inside your own 20.
It will create more scoring chances and could help prevent poor sides from getting hammered but, it's some very easy yards and with possession as a result, it seems to penalise the side that was in an attacking position.