10 replies to this topic

[G Las D]

There's an idea floating around in the last few days about allowing players to wear sticky gloves - more than twice as sticky as car tyres.
They've reduced handling errors in American Football (NHL) by 12% and produce some startling 'takes'.
The latest gloves do, it seems, require a bit more effort to release the ball - about 25% more.
It might make the spectacle better to watch but would it change the basis of our game.
Once you start along this line where do you stop

[brooza]

Cheating, in my opinion.

[HappyDave]

Once you start along this line where do you stop?

Shouting "Huck-huck" at the 'Scrimmage', wearing protective padding and breaking for Adverts after every tackle?...

[G Las D]

I'd want some extended finger gloves, size of a goalie's, probably with a soft cloth on the back of the left one to wipe my brow.
Given that the game is just as much about tackling as catching and passing, these gloves could be potentially hazardous on the opposition skin - friction burns, grazing etc being a possible result.

[keighley]

The ones that do all the passing, namely the quarterbacks, don't wear sticky gloves, so that should rule them out for RL, every player has to be able to pass

[G Las D]

That's not to say all innovation is wrong - otherwise we'd still have 15 players on a team and a rugby ball that got heavier in wet weather.
This idea must surely be a none starter. Nobody on here has defended the idea.

[brooza]

This idea must surely be a none starter. Nobody on here has defended the idea.

Confirmed for NRL in 2014, then

[Griff]

We used to allow gloves. They were similar to those used by Gaelic footballers - very thin, I wouldn't go so far as to call them sticky, they were more just coated with rubber or summat similar. They were banned about 20 years ago.

[G Las D]

The images all seem to show RU use of gloves.

One site had not just grippy gloves, but heated ones!

[brooza]

The images all seem to show RU use of gloves.

One site had not just grippy gloves, but heated ones!

To be fair, they've stopped putting pockets in RU shorts, they had to do something to combat frostbite

[fatboystu]

no gloves! and whats with players wearing these bloody leggings under their shorts as well? that shouldn't be allowed either!!