The National Rugby League’s contentious six again rule has sparked a heated divide between two of the code’s most long-serving and respected coaches, with legendary South Sydney Rabbitohs mentor Wayne Bennett doubling down on his support for the controversial regulation, arguing it has rescued the sport from more than a decade of slow, grapple-heavy stagnation.
Bennett’s outspoken defense of the rule, which replaces traditional penalties for ruck infringements and offside offences beyond the 20-metre line with fresh set restarts, comes just 24 hours after Canberra Raiders head coach Ricky Stuart delivered a scathing rebuke of the policy, claiming it has eroded the core identity of rugby league. While the rule change has drawn widespread criticism from fans online, who argue its frenetic pace and frequent set changes have stripped the game of its traditional fabric, Bennett says the current format is a dramatic improvement over the slow, wrestling-dominated play that bogged matches down for 10 years.
“There’s no doubt it’s a game-changer,” Bennett told reporters this week. “We’ve got a game that’s full of entertainment right now, some wonderful tries being scored, some great ball movement. Do we go back to when we had wrestle and we had all the other terms for different types of tackles that were making the whole game bog down? I don’t want to go back to that. We suffered for over a decade with that and I don’t want to go back there. If we find an answer for not having the six again then I’d be happy, but the reality of it is the onus is back on the players. The players are always playing on the edge with the rules and this is one they really can’t play on the edge with because it really hurts your team.”
Beyond the rule debate, Bennett is facing a string of injury challenges ahead of his side’s Saturday night clash against the winless St. George Illawarra Dragons, and has made a surprising selection call to bring dynamic fullback Matt Dufty back for his first NRL outing in four years. Dufty, who most recently played in the UK’s Super League for Warrington Wolves, returned to Australia earlier than planned and linked up with the Rabbitohs, earning an unexpected call-up after starting fullback Jye Gray was sidelined for two to three weeks with an AC joint injury.
Many fans and analysts expected Bennett would shift star back Latrell Mitchell from his current position at left centre back to fullback, a role Mitchell has played extensively throughout his career. But Bennett opted against a major reshuffle of his backline, noting Gray’s absence is only short-term, and that the team already has an injury gap on the left edge after second-rower David Fifita was ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring injury. “That was based on the fact that Jye will be back in a couple of weeks, probably two to three weeks max, so do I change one position or do I change four positions to put Latrell back at fullback?” Bennett explained. “That really wasn’t an option for me with only two or three weeks. If Jye had been out for a lot longer I might have made a different decision, but next couple of weeks I think we can get the job done there and it makes us more stable in our backline because these guys are playing together each week, and I think any coach in the game wants his players to play together as much as they possibly can.”
Bennett added that Mitchell’s permanent shift to centre this season was already a deliberate choice made in the best interest of the club, and a short-term injury did not justify upending the entire unit. “I don’t see a world where he won’t go back to fullback eventually,” he said. “It was only a decision we made this year because we believed it was in the best interest of the club, and we made this decision again because I believe it’s in the best interest of the team that we have one new guy coming in rather than moving the whole backline around.”
The Rabbitohs are already stretched thin in their forward pack, with five forwards currently sidelined in rehab. Prop Keaon Koloamatangi will play through a painful knee injury this weekend, after Bennett ruled out resting him, with the club awaiting the return of Junior Tatola next week to ease their forward depth crisis. “He’s a bit restricted as well. We probably need a week off for him, but we just can’t do it at the moment,” Bennett said. “We’ve got five forwards sitting in rehab at the moment with injuries and won’t be back for a couple of weeks, we’ll probably get Junior Tatola back next week, so we just need a bit of relief there and have to hang on a little bit longer for Keaon.” Dufty, a former Dragons player, will make his Rabbitohs debut against his old club this weekend, with Bennett saying the club is excited to welcome him to the squad. Assistant coach Ben Hornby has a long history of coaching Dufty, giving the South Sydney staff confidence he will fit in both on and off the pitch, Bennett added.