ELV's/Applications...It's blowback time!

toomevara

The fallout from the ELV's/Applications is beginning to hit home...disquiet being voiced in the premiership at the reffing of the tackle area and the referees excessive use of the whistle at the breakdown.

Meanwhile the South Africans are pressing for the adoption of the European variant of the ELV's, the EELV's if you will (brilliant just what we need, another idiotic acronym), having been exceptionally unhappy at this year's 3N.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/sep/26/premiership.rugbyunion

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/sep/26/premiership.rugbyunion
(This one, by Shaun Edwards is particularly interesting.)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/sep/25/lionstour2009.southafricarugbyteam

Trojan

I'm delighted that SA have followed our veto of the free kick rules, they're bloody awful.

The new rules are not making the game better or more entertaining. How about we throw out all the (E)ELVS and go back to playing rugby?

JWAD

toomevara wrote: »

The fallout from the ELV's/Applications is beginning to hit home...disquiet being voiced in the premiership at the reffing of the tackle area and the referees excessive use of the whistle at the breakdown

Reffing the breakdown/contact area is not a new rule. It has always been in existance. Its being reffed properly for the first time. If the players dont want to be pinged, then don't infringe. It is that simple. Playing dumb everytime the ref blows up can only work so far this season.

toomevara wrote: »

Meanwhile the South Africans are pressing for the adoption of the European variant of the ELV's, the EELV's if you will (brilliant just what we need, another idiotic acronym), having been exceptionally unhappy at this year's 3N

Well then they and anyone else who takes this media campaign line seriously should listen more and read what they're given in future. The set of 13 ELVs currently implemented here in the NH competitions goes global next SH season (feb 2009) as was decided in the first quarter of this year.
:rolleyes:

toomevara

JWAD wrote: »

Reffing the breakdown/contact area is not a new rule. It has always been in existance. Its being reffed properly for the first time.

Indeed, this I know...my problem thus far is that the 'proper' reffing or protocols are leaving no room for referee's discretion and thus completely ruining the flow of a game. Refereeing (particularly in union) is an art, not a science and these new applications are destroying that important human aspect of the game...

Well then they and anyone else who takes this media campaign line seriously should listen more and read what they're given in future. The set of 13 ELVs currently implemented here in the NH competitions goes global next SH season (feb 2009) as was decided in the first quarter of this year.
:rolleyes:

V.interesting was not aware of that. Cheers.

Pinetree Boy

Well then they and anyone else who takes this media campaign line seriously should listen more and read what they're given in future. The set of 13 ELVs currently implemented here in the NH competitions goes global next SH season (feb 2009) as was decided in the first quarter of this year.
:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

The global ELVs only run to the end of July 2009 so Tri-nations may not be covered and SANZAR are debating whether to use them in Super 14. NZ and Aus want to use this years SH version. This is what SA is worried about.

JWAD

Pinetree Boy wrote: »

The global ELVs only run to the end of July 2009 so Tri-nations may not be covered and SANZAR are debating whether to use them in Super 14. NZ and Aus want to use this years SH version. This is what SA is worried about.

I'd say don't believe everything thats written in the press.

The set of 13 (global ELVs) is being implemented in the 2009 Tri Nations and Super14s. It is also used in the Nov Tests this year.
Next year, a conference is held in March for reviewing progress so far and then in July, a final decision on how the laws of the game will look with the settled-upon lawbook coming into effect in time for the NH season and after the end of the SH season.

toomevara

The RFU will be conducting an online survey next week to get opinions on the ELV's from anyone with an interest in the game, from players and coaches to joe public in the stands...good opportunity to register your thoughts...who knows it might even have an impact....

anonymous_joe

I'm still not sure.

Some of the ideas seem good in principle.

Rugby this season has seen some pretty meh developments - the style of kicking in particular - but would that happen without the ELVS?

il gatto

The aerial ping pong had started by the last RWC, seemingly as a way of exploiting out of position (or just plain crap) full backs and wingers. Unfortunatly with the strict enforcement at rucks, turning over ball in your own half has become so frequent, hoofing it up the pitch seems like a safer bet than trying to retain posession. It seems to me the team with posession gets pinged more often than the team without. I'd like to see stats to that effect, but if it's true, that can't be good for the game as a spectical. Seems they wanted to rid the game of pick and drives running down the clock and inadvertantly, created games riddled with bad kicking and poor phase building.

toomevara

If you can catch Sky's Rugby Club program this week, there was an excellent piece with Ed Morrison, the RFU's head ref going through the ELV's as they've been applied thus far. The piece on sealing off was particularly good...

Trojan

Anyone know if there are clips or transcripts of that show online?

toomevara

If anyone wants to take part in the RFU's online survey to comment on the ELV's its up and running. Who knows someone might even take note!

http://www.rfusurvey.co.uk/

Sparky14

toomevara wrote: »

Indeed, this I know...my problem thus far is that the 'proper' reffing or protocols are leaving no room for referee's discretion and thus completely ruining the flow of a game. Refereeing (particularly in union) is an art, not a science and these new applications are destroying that important human aspect of the game...

I'm actually happy with the stricter rules, having played most of my rugby in the backrow the subjectiveness of the breakdown used to do my head in. Unless the ref communicated his interpretation at every breakdown it became v frustrating. Also the amount of times refs wouldn't say anything then say the ball was playable after the fact or shout for hands off yet not ping ppl for continuing to hold on.

If everyone knows the rules are going to be reffed consistently a particular way then u can just concentrate on playing the game and hone their skills at the breakdown. Also strict adherence to the rules should benefit the weaker teams (obv not those who want to slow the ball down, illegally) in that for too long that subjectivity u talk about has invaribly gone with the best players, mainly the McCaws and the N Backs of this world.