RUGBY MATTERS
A weekly look at the game’s other talking points
BRENDAN GALLAGHER

THIS 60-second shot clock twaddle. If we must continue to plough down this blind alley it needs to apply from the moment the referee awards the penalty. If the authorities are going to put some stick about at least do it properly and with conviction.
It used to take Barry John approximately 12 seconds, 14 on a slow day, to complete his kicking routine from the moment he was thrown the ball and even with a suet pudding of an old leather ball he didn’t do too bad in New Zealand back in th...