EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS
By BILL LOTHIAN
ASSURANCES have been given that the Magners Celtic Rugby League will be operating experimental laws next season.

Fears arose this week when a top Australian administrator claimed that the Irish and Welsh, along with England, were refusing to bring in changes currently being trialled in the Tri Nations series involving the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies.

However, Scottish International Board representative Bill Nolan says the competitions will run along similar lines except that penalty kicks will continue to be awarded in Europe for a range of offences as opposed to the free kicks handed out for everything except offside, foul play and not entering the ruck from behind the rear-most foot in the Southern Hemisphere.

Such action prompted Aussie John O'Neill to claim that by not down-scaling penalty kicks some home nations were not embracing change but Nolan hit back saying: "The Six Nations has bought into the experimental law variations (ELVs) and will be applying them as agreed including in the Magners League. That means a range of new measures including players having to be five metres back from scrums and quick throw-ins either straight or towards the throwing team's own goal-line.

"Also, if a team puts the ball back into its own '22' and the ball is subsequently kicked directly into touch there is no gain in ground, while there is no longer a restriction on the number of players that can be used at a line-out."

Backing Nolan is Welsh rugby union chairman David Pickering who says: "In Wales all 13 new ELVs approved by the International Board will be part of every game (including the Magners League] so that we can all clearly see how the new rules modernise and improve the spectacle of rugby for supporters and the enjoyment of all the players.

"These changes will then be reviewed at the end of the season so that we can take fully informed decisions based on meaningful trials. It is hoped that after this global experiment we can take a unified judgement at the end of the process in May 2009. The original 24 suggested new laws have been paired down to the 13 and there has been widespread agreement not to adopt the experimental sanctions which replaced penalties with free kicks for some infringements. Wales agreed with the sentiment that the sanctions were a step too far.

"What everyone in world rugby has to realise is that the game is governed through a democratic process at IRB level. This is especially relevant to those key members who play a part in this democratic process."

This article was posted on 22-Jul-2008, 11:36 by Hugh Barrow.