The controversial penalty shoot-out system which was used to decide Sunday's Heineken Cup semi-final after the 26–26 draw between Cardiff and Leicester is to be reviewed, according to Derek McGrath, the chief executive of European Rugby Cup.
McGrath and ERC are conscious of the strong opinions being expressed about the system, which saw Leicester prevail 7–6 after extra time had finished without a point being scored and which had also given Cardiff an opportunity to win the tie a earlier in the shootout.
"We regularly look at every aspect of the competition as a matter of course and we are well aware that there are some widely differing views," said McGrath. "This is the first time we have ever witnessed one at senior level and we will examine closely how it all went.
"We have already given the matter great thought over the years and considered it from every angle. Our season structure and the physical nature of top-level rugby simply does not allow for replays, and does anybody really want a match decided on the toss of a coin? It surely has to be decided on the pitch somehow.
"We have also seriously considered a golden try in sudden-death extra time, but that is heaping huge pressure on the referees and the physical capabilities of players. Serious injuries are much more frequent when players are exhausted.
"We have also looked at the idea of bringing players off from each team at set intervals as you progress through extra time, but we believe that alters the nature of the game too much.
"At one time we looked at a slightly more complicated shootout scenario, along the lines of those regulations the IRB and Rugby World Cup have in place. In that you start with one kick in front of the posts on the 22 and then move the next kicks out to the 15-metre line, right and left, before the next kick returns to in front of the posts. And so on in rotation until the five players have kicked or until you get a result."
Should one of the Guinness Premiership play-off games need a shootout this weekend, a third system will operate. Of the initial five penalties the first will be in front of the posts on the 22, the second and third on the 15-metre line, and the fourth and fifth on the 5m line beside the 22.
