Rugby Union risks losing young fans to cricket if coaches do not get the game out of its current rut, according to former England coach Sir Clive Woodward.
The World Cup winner took aim at England's current coach Eddie Jones, who claimed that concerns about the state of the game were alarmist and silly.
According to Woodward, the game has "gone a long way down the wrong path".
"Way too many [matches] are complete yawns, perversely punctuated by the occasional thrilling moment which makes you wonder what on earth was going on in the other 79 minutes," he wrote in his Daily Mail column.
"For the first time I can remember, teams with prime possession no longer want the ball. Teams with sensational runners and counter-attackers have virtually given up doing what they do best.
"People don't pay good money to watch this nonsense and if we were allowed crowds at games they would be making the teams and players aware. Ultimately, the consumer is king and rugby needs to remember that.
"The comparison with some of the brilliant cricket, golf and football I've watched on TV over the difficult last eight months could not have been more startling.''
Woodward pointed to the eight substitutes rule as one of the changes that has diminished the product, and called on coaches such as Jones to buck the trend.
"I'm beginning to think we need to go back to injury-only replacements, even if that has to be closely marshalled as it could be open to abuse," he said.
"Rugby needs to look to inventive coaches – like Eddie – who can think outside the box to help get us back on the right track.
"If they lead, the players will follow.''
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