Mauls saved at IRB conference
Tuesday 31st March 2009
http://images.planetrugby.com/09/03/...ul_2089390.jpg ELVs: Pulling down of mauls to be thrown out?
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 ELVs currently being trialled.
After two days of detailed review, including statistics from over 800 matches in fifteen different countries, a total of ten 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.
ELVs recommended for adoption into law:
Law 6 - Assistant referees allowed.
Law 19 - Kicking directly into touch from ball played back into 22 equals no gain in ground.
Law 19 - Quick (lineout) throw permitted in any direction except forward.
Law 19 - Positioning of player in opposition to the player throwing in to be two metres away from lineout and the line of touch.
Law 19 - Pre-gripping of lineout jumpers allowed.
Law 19 - Lifting in the lineout allowed.
Law 19 - Positioning of receiver must be two metres away from lineout.
Law 20 - Five-metre offside line at the scrum.
Law 20 - Scrum-half offside line at the scrum.
Law 22 - Corner posts no longer touch in goal.
ELVs not recommended for adoption into law:
Law 17 - Maul - Head and shoulders not to be lower than hips.
Law 17 - Maul - Pulling down the maul.
Law 19 - Freedom for each team to determine lineout numbers.
Sanctions and Free-kicks (subsidiary recommendation for further examination).
Tackle/Ruck infringements (subsidiary recommendation for ruling in law to be sought by a union to clarify interpretation of current law).
Union-specific ELVs recommended:
Up to fifteen minutes' half-time.
Rolling substitutions for community game.
Use of U19 variations at the scrum for community adult game where agreed by the union.
Union-specific ELVs not recommended:
Protocol to extend the remit of the television match official.
http://www.planetrugby.com/Story/0,1...125986,00.html
