Ronnie O’Sullivan has joined several of snooker’s biggest names in calling for reform of the sport’s long-debated “miss” rule, with a group of leading professionals all highlighting it as the one regulation they would most like to see changed.
Asked which single amendment he would make to snooker’s rulebook, the seven-time world champion aligned himself with Neil Robertson, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy, who each offered their own variation on how the miss rule could be improved or limited.
O’Sullivan did not expand on the exact adjustment he favoured, but his agreement placed him firmly within the majority view among the sport’s senior figures.
Under the existing rule, a referee may call a foul and a miss if a player fails to strike the ball “on” and is deemed not to have made a sufficient attempt to do so.
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The three-miss rule goes further: when a player in the same position fails to hit the correct ball three consecutive times, the frame is automatically conceded.
Critics argue the rule can be inconsistently applied and can distort the competitive balance of a frame.
Robertson proposed a straightforward alternative aimed at speeding up play.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has joined several of snooker’s biggest names in calling for reform of the sport’s long-debated “miss” rule, with a group of leading professionals all highlighting it as the one regulation they would most like to see changed
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Five quirky facts about snooker | PA“If you can see a red directly but you don’t make contact with it, then your opponent gets a free ball,” he told TNT Sports.
“This would speed up the game massively.”
Wilson advocated a clear upper limit on how often a player could be penalised, saying: “Let’s go with the miss rule. No more than three misses.”
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Selby echoed that sentiment, adding: “Where you can only miss three times and then that’s it.
"Because sometimes you can be 20 or 30 points in front, have somebody in a tough snooker and end up winning the frame because of them missing numerous times. I’d probably change that.”
Murphy took a different angle, criticising the tactical exploitation of the rule.
“Just one rule change I’d make would be the foul and a miss rule," he said.
"It gives players chances to play deliberate fouls and I don’t like that.”
While the miss rule drew the highest level of consensus, other players seized the opportunity to air alternative frustrations.
Mark Allen wants snooker to change the rules on dress code
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Mark Allen immediately targeted snooker’s traditional dress code, insisting it “needs to be relaxed”.
For decades, professionals have competed in long-sleeved shirts, waistcoats, bow ties, tailored trousers and dress shoes—an ensemble many believe feels increasingly out of step with modern sports broadcasting.
Luca Brecel also argued for relaxation of the dress code and suggested technical adjustments to the game, including changes to the shot clock and the introduction of a rule requiring players to contact at least one cushion on every shot.
Such a rule would bring snooker closer in line with some pool formats and, advocates say, discourage ultra-defensive play.