Thanks to the “game clock” and a scrum process best measured in light years, top-end Rugby Union matches generally last between 85 and 90 minutes – or, to put it another way, slightly longer than an England innings on a dry and dusty turner in India.
But this is only half the story, as followers of the “other code” never tire of telling us. Rugby League takes pride in many things, usually at considerable volume, with “ball-in-play time” top of the list: somewhere in the region of 62 minutes, on average – almost twice the figure in the 15-man game.
This significant difference has persuaded...