ELVs might just be what rugby has been looking for for a change
February 9th, 2008, 2:34 am Hobbies News
Eight of the proposed rules %26mdash; experimental law variations, or ELVs %26mdash; will be trialled during the Super 14.
The New Zealand Rugby Union has been holding seminars with broadcasters and the print media by way of education as to what can be expected during the Sanzar competition.
Its clear that everyone, from the players, coaches and referees to the press and Joe Public, will be on a steep learning curve, especially during the early rounds of the Super 14.
At this stage there are no plans to include any of the variations in club rugby and a decision is yet to be made whether they will be used in the Tri-Nations.
The NZRU plans to consult the provincial unions before deciding whether they will be used during the Air New Zealand Cup.
That could see the top players using new rules for the Super 14, going back to the old game for the July internationals against Ireland before switching back for the Tri-Nations.
The average player may spend the first couple of months watching the new game on the television in the Super 14, before playing the game they are more familiar with at club level.
Perhaps the biggest change is not the laws themselves, but the lower level of punishment referees can use, especially at the breakdown.
Free kicks, if referees enforce new laws at the tackle and ruck as they are being encouraged to, will become more prevalent, with much fewer penalties being awarded.
It is hoped the new rule that sees both teams standing back 5m from the scrum will encourage more expansive backplay, although it also makes the role of the No 8 and defensive halfback a key feature %26mdash; as spectators will have noted with the rampaging Sione Lauaki during the Chiefs pre-season game against the Highlanders in Invercargill.
The NZRU was quick to point out that this is an experiment only and with new interpretations being suggested by the International Rugby Board as late as last week, this is still very much a work in progress.
It is not being sold as a cure-all for the game, but as a way forward to making it more exciting for the fans and easier to play and officiate for those on the field.
In last years B competition, which obviously was being played by largely amateur players, there were 50 percent more line breaks and 40 percent more tries.
There were fewer lineouts but there were still enough to retain it as an important set piece.
Some teams (including, probably, the Highlanders) will elect to use scrums rather than free kicks as a platform to attack, rather than quick taps. The rugby purists may throw up their hands in despair at first but the important message at this stage is probably to wait and see how things pan out.
Most will agree that rugby needs to change, and somewhere among these ELVs might just be the elixir the game has been looking for.
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