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Mazda Australian Rugby Championship to Go All The Way with Law Changes
June 14, 2007 - 1:00am
Story by: ARU
The inaugural Mazda Australian Rugby Championship will be the testing ground for major law changes in the game.
The Australian Rugby Union has decided that all eight Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) will be adopted in the ARC which begins nationally in August. The ELV’s, devised at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University are aimed at bringing more free-flowing play to Rugby.
Four of the ELV’s have been trialled in the Sydney and Brisbane club competitions in recent months to rave reviews from coaching staff, players and spectators alike. The ARC will be the first time all eight ELV’s will have been introduced in a match in Australia.
Among the law variations are a disincentive for kicking the ball into touch from inside the 22 metre line therefore promoting more running play and major changes to lineouts, the breakdown and mauls. If a ball is thrown back inside the 22 and then is kicked out on the full, the lineout will be from the point of the the kick rather than where the ball crossed the touchline.
“The whole idea of the ELV’s is to make the game of rugby more easily understood and more enjoyable for spectators,” said ARU Referees Manager and former International Referee Peter Marshall. “We have been getting some really good feedback from both sides of the fence from the trialling of some of the law variations in the Sydney and Brisbane competitions,” he said.
The Mazda ARC, which will feature teams based in Brisbane, The Gold Coast, the Central Coast, North Sydney, Parramatta, Canberra , Melbourne and Perth kicks off on August 11. It will be an Australian first for a competition filling the void between club rugby and the professional ranks. The competition will feature more than 100 professional players and aims to be the perfect springboard for players into the elite level of the game.
(Please find below the descriptions of all eight ELV’s to be implemented in the Mazda ARC).
Experimental Law Variations and Commentary:
Touch Judges
1. TJ’s can indicate offside at the tackle by raising their flag horizontally in the direction of the offending team. This flag raising will be mirrored by the opposite TJ so as to provide visual assistance to the referee. The referee however is not obliged to act on the offence.
Posts and flags around the field
2. Corner post, and post at corner of touch in goal and dead ball line are moved back 2 metres. This ensures consistency of touch along the entire length of the touch line and touch in goal line.
Inside the 22 metre line
3. When a defending player receives the ball outside the 22 metre line and passes, puts or takes the ball back inside the 22, the following can occur:
a. If the ball is then kicked directly into touch, the lineout is in line with where the ball was kicked.
b. If a tackle, ruck or maul is subsequently formed or an opponent plays the ball and the ball is then kicked directly into touch, the lineout is where the ball crossed the touch line.
Lineout
4. On a quick throw in, the ball can be thrown straight or backwards towards the defenders goal line, but not forward towards the opposition goal line.
5. A player peeling off at the front of the lineout can do so as soon as the ball leaves the throwers hands.
6. The receiver in a lineout must stand 2 metres from the lineout.
7. The non throwing hooker does not have to stand between the 5 metre line and the touch line. They must conform to law wherever they stand.
8. There is no maximum number of players in the lineout but there is a minimum of 2.
9. Neither team determines numbers in the lineout.
10. Pre-gripping is allowed.
11. If a lineout throw is not straight, the option is a lineout or FK to non throwing team. (Added 1 Oct).
Breakdown (tackle/post tackle)
12. Players entering the breakdown area must do so through the gate. RIGIDLY APPLIED
13. Immediately the tackle occurs there are offside lines.
14. The offside lines run parallel to the goal lines through the hindmost part of the hindmost player at the tackle.
15. A tackled player must immediately play the ball and may not be prevented from playing the ball by any player who is off their feet. (Added 1 Oct).
16. Any other player playing the ball at the breakdown must be on their feet. (Added 1 Oct)
17. If the ball is unplayable at the breakdown, the side that did not take the ball into contact will receive a FK.
18. If the ball is received directly from a kick and a tackle occurs immediately, and the ball becomes unplayable, the FK is given to the team who received the kick.
19. There are only 3 penalty offences (not including dangerous play) at the breakdown:
a. Offside for not coming through the gate.
b. Offside where defenders are in front of the last man on their side of the breakdown. i.e. the offside line.
c. Players on the ground preventing playing of the ball.
20. Repeated infringements can be dealt with as per current law.
21. A scrum option is available for all FKs.
22. Dangerous play will not be tolerated. Eg. Diving over the breakdown.
23. The half back should not be touched unless he has his hands on the ball.
Maul
24. Defending players can pull down the maul.
25. Players joining the maul must do so through the gate. RIGIDLY APPLIED.
26. If a maul becomes unplayable, the team not in possession at the start of the maul receives a FK.
27. The ‘truck and trailer’ is no longer an offence.
Scrum
28. The offside line for players who are not in the scrum and who are not the teams scrum half, is 5 metres behind the hindmost foot of the scrum.
Sanctions
26. For all offences other than offside, not entering through the gate, and Law 10-Foul Play, the sanction is a FK.
*FK = Free Kick.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
well that should encourage more open play
Hang about! I don't like this bit. We don't want the game more easily understood for two good reasons. Firstly, illiterate plebs will start watching and playing - wheres the elitist, bourgeoisie, private school, bias gone too? its bad enough that people take money.Originally Posted by Burgs
Secondly, whats going to happen to me? Nobody will turn to me at Force games and ask for a detailed explanation about what happend and what the ref did right or wrong.
Another sweet mystery of life unraveling before my eyes.
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Two of the changes are a bit confusing.
1. If the TJ's are allowed to rule off-side at the tackle why not have the referee obliged to act? They can talk to him over the 'two way' if he doesn't see the raised flag immediately. This 'half-change' will cause controversy, excepting for Johnathan Kaplan, of course. The TJ's word is Gospel to him, apparently![]()
2. Why move the corner flags? They serve a good purpose considering the vastly different outcomes for a kick going into touch either side. If they want to have 'consistency' of touch just change the law so that if a player is partially out over the 'plane of touch' but in the air then the ball is still in play whether the player contacts the post or not. Valid in both Rugby codes.
That's why they are called 'experimental' and being utilised in the ARC, to see how it all works.
Laura Force Addict v Chook scrabble-off on Facebook: laura & Force Addict 0 | chook 9
Gigsa made me do it
"He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty." – Lao Tzu
this is gonna be a huge one
27. The ‘truck and trailer’ is no longer an offence.
it will be crazy like gridiron
24. Defending players can pull down the maul.
this will be interesting
I guess you would have to have #24 to counter act #27?
Accidental Offside will have to play a part too as that is a fundamental of the code.
You could also assume there may be an increase in shepherding calls too?
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
True. But does not mean there aren't better ways of achieving the desired outcome. I got in strife from Flat Top here a week or two back for criticising a possible change to the S14 qualifications without providing alternatives. So I thought I'd better come up with a coupleOriginally Posted by chook
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Basically they're looking to reduce the number of scrums with FK's being awarded instead of scrums for squint lineouts etc. Are they admitting that their new scrum rules aren't working? Scrums are one of the great parts of Rugby and what stands us apart from the stunted version.
Also, I'm confused about the numbers in the lineout thing. There must be a minimum of 2 in the lineout but no maximum (fair enough....as long as you can squeeze all your players between the 5m & 15m area) but then no team decides the numbers in the lineout......so where's the incentive to reduce the lineout on your own throw when the other team can keep a full complement.....are they admitting that the referees can't count to 7 (twice) quickly enough to police this rule???!!!!!
CHEERLEADERS ROCK!!!
They're opening up options - the opposition may have a full complement but if you only put up three and get it, there'll be some overlap.
ARC to trial law changes
June 15, 2007
THE inaugural Mazda Australian Rugby Championship will road test the code's major law changes designed to enhance entertainment value.
The Australian Rugby Union has decided all eight experimental law variations devised at South Africa's Stellenbosch University will be adopted in the ARC.
The eight-team national tournament, to kick off on August 11, will be the first competition to trial all eight changes. Four of the new laws have been trialled in Sydney and Brisbane club competitions this season to rave reviews from coaches, players and fans due to the increase in free-flowing play.
ARU referees manager and former Test official Peter Marshall said the law changes also helped make the game more easily understood and enjoyable for spectators.
The changes include the legal pulling down of a rolling maul, the prevention of playing the ball back into the defensive 22 before kicking out on the full and a 5m off-side line from scrums.
"We have been getting some really good feedback from both sides of the fence from the trialling of some of the law variations in the Sydney and Brisbane competitions," Marshall said.
AAP
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Are these some of the same Laws that were trialed in Scotland this last season. If so, are there any Scottish residents on here that can tell us the outcome of the experimental Laws?
In general they sound Ok but as with you Jedi I'm a bit unsure about that lineout Law.
I don't think the reduction in scrums is a bad thing and certainly not indicative of any failure in the current ruling, it just speeds the game up. Change is always painful for the elderly but good for the game.![]()
Just happy to be here
Hey Ecky, will any of the local Refs get the chance to officiate during the ARC?
Assumably an outcome for the ARU is to get more experienced officials around the country?
Would be a shame if our top couple of Refs (I trust we have a couple) were overlooked for at least running touch.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.