Huddersfield Giants hooker Zac Woolford has made a plea to the Super League officials over the new ruck speed rules, asking that they remain consistent with them throughout the year and don’t allow standards to slip beyond the first few weeks of the season.
Rucks will be officiated much more strictly with defending players no longer able to lay on with penalties set to be awarded for that offence. The aim of that is to speed up the ruck and therefore the game, creating a more exciting game to watch.
For players like Woolford, who operate out of the ruck regularly due to their position, it will mean a far greater opportunity to dart from the play the ball but also will allow the quality players to truly show their quality.
Speaking to BBC West Yorkshire radio, Woolford, who enters his second season in England, said that such rules could actually replicate something more comparable to what he had experienced in the NRL.
“It’s going to be very interesting this year with the new referee’s interpretations,” he outlined, adding: “We’re probably going to have to adjust again and it might actually go back to the style that I was used to playing back home but we’ll wait and see. I’m looking forward to seeing how they do referee it.
“There’s a lot more opportunity there. It was obviously pedestrian last year. Some older heads might be against it but it’s only going to be good for the game.”
He then sent a message to the officials, pleading with them to ensure ruck speed standards are upheld all year long: “We saw what happened in the Ashes, it makes for more exciting rugby league and you get to see the best players come to the more a bit more, so it’s something I’m really looking forward to and I hope that they stick to it, not just do it for six rounds and revert back to the way it was. Hopefully, it’s here to stay.”
Huddersfield Giants set for big year after healthy pre-season
Woolford also spoke on the huge contrast that he’s expecting from year one to year two in respect to Huddersfield as a team, with the Giants plagued by injury all year round in 2025.
He said: “I don’t want to go too much into last year but we want to right the wrong and we got to the best possible start at the weekend which is something we can build on and we’re healthy, which is nice.”
On what a difference being healthy has made over pre-season, he added: “It’s massive, we were at a big disadvantage last year. I could count on one hand how many times we were actually able to go 13 on 13, which you need in rugby league. We were killing ourselves before we’d even started.
“The quality of our reps this year have been much better and I think we’ll be a lot better for it.
“It’s chalk and cheese the difference between now and last year.”
There were also big raps for the club’s new signings, who Woolford claimed had ‘flew under the radar’ with the Giants making a total of five signings, one of those being the confirmation of Niall Evalds’ loan to a permanent deal.
Others include the loan of Olly Russell, Wakefield forward Mathieu Cozzz and two overseas forwards who Woolford was keen to praise.
The hooker said: “We’ve probably flew under the radar with our signings a little bit but I’ve spoke to a few people back home who have played with Chris (Patolo) and Asher (O’Donnell) and asked a few questions and got glowing reports.
“From what I’ve seen on the training paddock and even on the weekend, they’re going to be really good for us and are the sort of player we want to add to our squad with good leg speed, work ethic and carrying the ball hard.”
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