In that debate, hurling’s rule book has been reduced to the role of interested observer. The rucks were heavily resourced – a phrase you often hear in the game that invented the practice – and the ball was slow to budge. In those situations, nobody is making a shoulder charge, hip to hip, which is the only physical tackle defined in the rule book. It is not accounted for in the rule book, even though it is one of the key sources of primary possession in the game now. In the history of the game, the ball has never spent more time in players’ hands.

Source: The Irish Times March 02, 2026 18:31 UTC