Munster puts boot into new kick-off rule. But did it work? |
Munster puts boot into new kick-off rule. But did it work?
August 28, 2026 — 5:00am
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To kick off, or not to kick off? That is the question.
After the first barrier trial of the NRL’s new kick-off rule, road-tested by last year’s grand finalists in a “dead rubber” no one could have predicted, we have been left without a definitive answer.
It was mooted as a momentum changer, potentially even a game changer for rugby league. A chance for the team that concedes points to decide whether to kick off or receive the football from the resumption. It added further intrigue, if any was required, for a match in which Adam Reynolds watched the action from the same Suncorp Stadium grandstand as the fans that came to farewell him. Yet it was triggered just three times in 80 minutes and had no discernible impact on the result.
“I do like the game the way it is,” Broncos coach Michael Maguire said. “It’s a great game. We don’t need to tinker too far, especially the way the game is going at the moment.”
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Melbourne captain Harry Grant echoed those........