The Maul is back!... and other ELV changes

chupacabra

Tuesday, 31 March 2009 14:49

The maul's place at the heart of rugby union is set to be preserved following a meeting of nearly 60 senior rugby stakeholders.

The International Rugby Board conference - which featured coaches, referees, administrators and representatives from all the major unions - was called to discuss the global impact of experimental law variations (ELVs) currently being trialled.

After two days of detailed review, including statistics from over 800 matches in 15 different countries, a total of 10 ELVs were recommended to be passed into full law.

But the two most controversial ELVs were not ratified.

The conference recommended the law allowing mauls to be pulled down should be thrown out.

And the sanctions ELV which sees most offences penalised with a free-kick, currently being trialled in the southern hemisphere, has been sent away for further review.

The committee also rejected the ELV allowing teams to select as many players as they want in the lineout.

Recommended ELVs include a five-metre off-side line at the scrum and the pass-back rule, which prevents players from making any ground with a kick to touch if the ball has been played back into their own 22.

The conference was not a decision-making forum but was designed to help the IRB's rugby committee finalise their own list of ELV recommendations to put before the full IRB council on May 13.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2009/0331/irb.html

Chucky the tree

I hope they dont scrap the free-kicks, pretty disappoint the NH lads didnt even bother trailing them before giving them the boot.

thebossanova

Great decision! If I wanted to watch Rugby League I would! Hope the IRB takes this on board.

bleg

dunno about that

http://www.planetrugby.com/Story/0,18259,9822_5126767,00.html
Media foul-up ruins IRB surprise
Wednesday 01st April 2009


The IRB has admitted that Tuesday's media reports regarding the latest round of ELV recommendations were leaked as part of an elaborate April 1 hoax, and that the likelihood is that all the ELVs, including many of the initially-rejected one such as allowing hands in the ruck, will be globally trialled from August 1 this year.

The reports on Tuesday suggested that many of the current ELVs being globally trialled would be abandoned after an IRB council meeting on May 13, with only a few retained.

But the admission of a media gatekeeping error by the game's governing body means that this will now almost certainly not be the case.

"We had wanted to get into the April 1 spirit, make a practical joke to lift people's spirits in what have become tough times for our game in the current economic climate," said President Leonard Basset.

"We wanted to tell everybody they were getting the old laws back, lull them into that false sense of security, then spring our surprise at midday and give the real story, which is that we will have a further and more extensive ELV trial later this year.

"We just failed to take into account the time differences. Initially, we wanted the joke to start in New Zealand, but of course, early April 1 in Auckland is still late March 31 in the UK, South Africa and USA, so we tried to stop the 'leak'.

"It proved too late. Now the story has broken in those countries on a more serious day and everybody is taking them seriously.

"I can only apologise on behalf of the IRB and set the matter straight as of now. But it would have been so funny had you really thought the ELVs were going to be abandoned! Can you imagine?"

So, in actual fact, there will be a further global trial of all the current ELVs from August 1. Additionally, several other ELVs will be implemented.

They are:

Sanctions - All offences, ranging from serious foul play to being caught swearing to oneself on the stadium big screen and television replay, shall be punished with a free-kick.

Tackle and ruck - Players on their feet may play the ball with their hands.

Tackle and ruck - Players on their hands may play the ball with their feet.

Tackle and ruck - Referees will be assisted by new technology in the stadium lights which will immediately shine onto the pitch those snazzy yellow lines they use in television replays, to help them determine the presence of a gate and offside line.

Line-out and throw - Incorrect throw (not straight) the sanction is that a cow will be wheeled onto the pitch backside first, whereupon the offending hooker will be presented with a banjo and asked to strike the cow firmly on its posterior. If successful, the hooker may attempt the throw again.

The news is sure to cause embarrassment not only to the IRB, but also to the Unions who issued press releases on March 31 iterating their delight at the 'decision' to abandon the ELVs.

Planet Rugby rang the offices of the RFU for comment but were told nobody knew where Rob Andrew was, or for that matter, what he does.

However, in one interesting development, IRB referees' Manager Brady O Prein revealed that as he had become such a loyal, to-the-letter-of-the-laws servant fo the ELVs, Matt Goddard was to be appointed ELV ambassador for New Zealand and would head up the new ELV appreciation and development panel there ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.


love planet rugby's april fools


if i get banned like the other guy did, sorry you don't have a sense of humour mods

Heineken Helen

Hahaha:D... oh dear :rolleyes:

Seriously though, great choice to bring back the mauls

Now can they do something to get rid of the horrible ping pong kicking that seems to be dominating games recently... maybe in each passage of play, you can only kick once in a row and then you must play the ball?

Noopti

Heineken Helen wrote: »

maybe in each passage of play, you can only kick once in a row and then you must play the ball?

No way, they need to remove rules in RU not add more. They are over complicating an already complicated sport. Time to simplify things.

Heineken Helen

Noopti wrote: »

No way, they need to remove rules in RU not add more. They are over complicating an already complicated sport. Time to simplify things.

I dunno, I like the fact that it's complicated... it's like a field chess game or something:D . I don't understand some of the rules but I'd appreciate a rule that would stop them from kicking backwards and forwards:o cos that can quickly make a game dull.