THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS




By DAVID FERGUSON
THE STORM over how the different sides of the rugby world are experimenting with proposed new laws would be good for the game were it not for the fact they were causing widespread confusion.



That is the view of the Scot at the centre of the trials to unearth an entertaining style of rugby more easily grasped by the wider public, as well as players and coaches, and a sport less reliant on controversial refereeing decisions.

One of the Scottish members on the International Rugby Board, Bill Nolan, was asked to chair a laws group when players, coaches and referees called for change in 2004 and said rugby had to be made easier to understand. That group, mainly made up of former international coaches, is nearing the end of a global trial with Europe's main competitions � the Magners League, Guinness Premiership, Top 14 and RBS Six Nations � the final stage for the 'Experimental Law Variations' (ELVs) before a new laws book is drafted next summer.

But judging by this week's comments from John O'Neill, the Australia RU Chief Executive, one might have thought a huge split between the northern and southern hemispheres over how rugby moves ahead was looming.

Nolan insisted that was far from the truth. He said: "O'Neill has criticised the northern hemisphere for apparently not being prepared to trial the ELVs when actually it's just the sanctions part � where penalties for everything but foul play and offside are down-graded to free-kicks � that won't be happening in the north this season. It was decided in May at the IRB Council that the sanctions wouldn't be used because of the difficulty in the northern hemisphere of moving from domestic competitions to Europe to international, and back again, and potential for inconsistencies, unlike the south where they move from one blocked competition to another.

"But the ELVs are definitely being trialled in the northern hemisphere from 1 August and we'll get a good chance to see what leading players and coaches and spectators think before we sit down next May to decide on one set of laws for the game globally. That will, hopefully, be introduced next summer, in time for the unions to play them for two full seasons prior to the 2011 World Cup."

The process of experimenting with rugby's historic laws began in 2004 and opinions have swung backwards and forwards during competitions as players and coaches grasp the possibilities of ELVs. For example, this year's Super 14 began with players running virtually every free-kick in an attempt to launch quick attacks, only to discover this created an exhaustingly quick game and ignored the strength of the scrum.

Gradually, it dawned � there was a scrum option when a free-kick was awarded, and teams started taking it with the scrum returning to its dominant place in the game.

Nolan said: "Unique elements of rugby union � scrums, rucks, mauls and lineouts � are being maintained, which is important because we wanted to stick closely to the sport's playing charter which says rugby should be a game for all shapes and sizes, and not about two teams of giants."

Players and coaches in Europe are now preparing for a season where their players can put any number into a lineout, throw quick lineouts at angles towards teammates and pull down mauls. They still cannot use hands to free the ball in rucks while the latest rumpus stems from the RFU's push not to downgrade penalties for minor offences, such as not binding properly in a scrum, to free-kicks in the north's 2008-9 season. Designed to swing the emphasis back from penalties to tries deciding games, the RFU was supported in blocking this move by Wales and Ireland.

The southern hemisphere nations did go down this route, hence the plethora of free-kicks in the Super 14 and Tri Nations and O'Neill's unhappiness. Nolan sees merit in that and is confident that many critics of the ELVs will change their tune during the season.


"This is a worldwide trial over several years which has never been done before in rugby union, and the overriding aim is to make our game better for players, coaches, referees and spectators," he said. "Hopefully, this season will help show people what could be achieved."

This article was posted on 19-Jul-2008, 09:38 by Hugh Barrow.