Leinster senior coach Stuart Lancaster says the controversial Captain's Challenge trial is creating an "appealing mentality" which is potentially damaging to the game.
One of three trial laws which have been in place for the Rainbow Cup, the Captain's Challenge has proven to be consistently confusing, and has led to longer delays in the game with most matches now clocking in beyond two hours in duration.
The Leinster coach says the law should not be implemented permanently beyond this season, adding that it is making life more difficult for officials, with players consistently appealing to the referee, something which Lancaster says contradicts the "values" of the game.
"I’d like to see the players just concentrate on playing the game.
"This isn’t levelled at anyone in particular. Generally what it’s created is a sort of ‘appealing mentality'. As a consequence there are definitely some issues there which are not in the values of the game," he said.
"I’d rather players concentrate on playing rugby and the officials do their job. It’s been very difficult for the officials to manage this. They’ve not to my knowledge voted for it. I think it’s been very difficult to manage. With no crowds as well, there is a lot of noise from the sidelines trying to create the energy in the groups.
"We need a bit of a retake when the season finishes and just get back to accepting decisions, not appealing for everything, and getting on with the job of playing rugby in a way that is exciting and fun to watch without so much dead time."
Lancaster says he has always been against the idea of introducing the Captain's Challenge, saying he was opposed to it when it was first mooted seven years ago.
"I remember I was at a World Rugby meeting with England in 2014 and I remember this captain’s challenge notion being brought up then.
"And I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is crazy, why would we want to go down this route as a sport?’
"Anyway, I didn’t hear any more of it and suddenly it’s reappeared. I just think with the advent of TMOs, captain’s challenges, and a couple of other things, I think, one, it has created a lot of dead time in the games. Probably more importantly, maybe because there are no fans there, it has created integrity challenges about the game I think, that I’m not comfortable with really," he added.
Stuart Lancaster | We’re all absolutely gutted for him
Stuart Lancaster has also backed Andrew Porter to bounce back after his British and Irish Lions dream was ended through injury.
The tighthead prop was ruled out of the tour due to a toe injury, with Lancaster saying everyone at the province is devasted for him.
"He is very tough, Andrew, physically a tough guy, but also mentally very tough.
"I didn’t really sleep that well on Saturday night thinking about it. I am just so gutted for him, so gutted. For a young lad to have worked so hard to achieve his dream, what it meant to his family and friends and all the people who supported him, and then to miss out now in the way that it happened, almost innocuously really. It was nothing really.
"We’re all absolutely gutted for him really. But he’s in today, he’s in the review, he’s got a smile on his face, he’s been positive with the lads, everyone has put their arms around him and he’s going in to see the specialist on Wednesday I think."
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