Warren Gatland reveals 'damning statistic' he believes is harming rugby

The Wales head coach was writing in his Telegraph column and revealed a statistic which showed that teams were disproportionately rewarded by kicking the ball more.

Gatland is worried that sides are becoming negative in the way they approach the game, preferring to play without the ball, rather than with it.

"Through the World Cup in France, the team that registered the most kicking metres enjoyed roughly an 80 per cent win rate," he wrote.

"It is a damning statistic from the perspective of a coach and a player who wants to play rugby and shift the ball when the opportunities arise and take chances.

"Instead, there is a greater emphasis on territory, of needing to be smart when you have the ball and limit the amount of turnovers in the game, particularly in the middle part of the pitch - and that means more territorial kicking."

Wales' boss also felt that statistic was a reason for their World Cup exit after they went down to a 29-17 defeat to Argentina in the quarter-finals.

"It was a statistic that came back to bite us during the World Cup. I was delighted that we topped the pool, beating Fiji and Australia along the way, but we had a brilliant chance to reach the semi-finals, which would have been a fantastic return," he wrote.

"However, during our quarter-final defeat by Argentina, it was the one game when we lost the kicking duel despite making more line breaks, more carry metres, and more passes.

"Argentina finished the game with more kicks and more kicking metres than us. It is one thing knowing about the stats, but you must have the ability to apply them as well."

Gatland has therefore proposed several ideas which he feels will both speed up the game and promote positive play.

He discussed how officiating could be improved but also delved into the set-piece and the age-old scrummaging conundrum.

"We need to speed up scrums," he wrote. "Referees have stopped teams holding huddles before line-outs but what about scrum time?

"I said to one of my coaches that we need to run there, get set up as quickly as we can and put the referee and the opposition under a bit of pressure to speed up the scrums. Keep an eye out for Wales implementing this in the upcoming Six Nations.

"I would also like to see the 50-22 kicking law changed so that teams can attempt them even if the ball is passed into their own half. That could have an impact on creating more space in the backfield."

Another suggestion from Gatland is to change the goal line drop-out law.

One of the 60-year-old's proposals is to go back to the previous five-metre scrum, but his preference would be for the attacking team to get a tap free-kick close to the opposition try-line.

"Defences are getting better in holding up attackers over the line to win a drop-out from under their posts, which can clear the ball to the half-way line," he added.

"How about a compromise that if a team is held up over the line, they are awarded a five-metre scrum or lineout - even better a tapped free-kick?

"We have to look at ways to keep the game moving and encourage teams to become more inventive and creative."

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