A remarkable passage of play from Bath's recent win over Gloucester has got people questioning the laws of rugby union – and for good reason.
Gloucester, who currently sit second-bottom of the Premiership, fell to a ninth consecutive league defeat as a try double from Tom de Glanville helped Bath secure the West Country spoils.
The fact that George Skivington's side remain winless in the league since October 20 was certainly a talking point after Sunday's game, especially given rivals Bath moved up to third.
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But the biggest topic of debate from the Recreation Ground was a bizarre passage of play featuring 12 consecutive kicks and plenty of groaning from restless supporters.
Check out the sequence of events below:
As you can imagine, the scenes sparked plenty of discussion around the rules of rugby union, as well as a no-nonsense response from England prop Joe Marler, who called it "proper bo*****s."
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Here's how fans on social media reacted to the 'kick tennis' match.
One said: "Have now been sent this by three separate people, so to save anyone further bother: yes, it’s a good example of how poorly designed rules have created a sport that simply doesn’t work."
A second wrote: "Reminds me of the Tony Pulis years at Albion," while a third wrote: "I think it’s great."
A fourth commented: "And this is what people don’t understand…..this episode of rugby is more than 1 min ball in play with nothing happening except the ball flying through the air. People thinking high ball in play = entertaining rugby."
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A fifth added: "This is absolutely dire to watch. It’s no wonder fans are turning away in their 1000’s and clubs are going to continue to struggle. Surely absolutely no one wants to watch this, let alone pay to watch it."
As mentioned by Charlie Morgan, the so-called Dupont loophole states you can advance from an offside position once a catcher has travelled five metres.
That, in turn, causes the receiving players to be put under more pressure, which encourages the return kick instead of a possible attacking run.
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Do you think the law should be changed? Let us know.
Featured Image Credit: X/@CharlieFelixTopics: Rugby Union
