RUGBY in the northern hemisphere will undertake its biggest-ever test of new 'rules' this season in a bid to improve the game for players, officials and spectators.
But do we understand what we are about to see? Peter Allan took over from Malcolm Changleng as Scotland's leading full-time referee earlier this year and the former Watsonians prop is striving to restore the reputation of Scottish referees in the wor
ld game. Most of this season he will be officiating at Magners League, Heineken Cup and international games, but he has been working with Scottish players and coaches on the Experimental Law Variations.
Whenever you hold forums it's always the same people who turn up," he said, "so all the referees are keen to get out there and work with clubs, answer queries and work through ELV situations. I'd much rather have coaches arguing with me about something they don't get on a Thursday night at training than shouting 20 minutes into a game when you're in the heat of the battle.
The 13 variations we are trying out are all positive and take some ambiguity out of referees' decisions."
The ELVs – which will lead to new worldwide laws next summer – are striving to create more attacking space around scrums, speed up lineout play, swap kicks to touch for attacking enterprise and halt slow, turgid rolling mauls. The accompanying panel outlines the 13 ELVs and, here, Allan gives hints on what to look out for.
The maul still can't be 'collapsed'," he began, "but can now be brought to ground by players pulling at opponents bound to the maul between the hips and shoulder.
Players have to watch the new 22 kicking rule – Stirling Mortlock, the Australian, hit a great touch-finder 60 metres last week only to be pulled back to where he kicked it because his team had brought the ball back into the 22. Even if a scrum or lineout starts, or an opposition kick drops into touch, outside a 22, and the kicker later receives a pass from inside his 22, the ball has been carried back in by his team and a kick to touch won't gain ground.
Quick lineouts can be taken before the lineout is formed, but refs will have to watch for the receiver (usually scrum-half) staying two metres from the lineout until the ball is thrown and the defending hooker two metres from the five-metre line and two metres from touch – a bit confusing, but it's to ensure good lineout competition and no-one is sneaking in to lift.
The new five-metre offside law at the scrum is straightforward for the backs, but the defending scrum-half has to watch. He has to stay within one metre of the scrum, and not stray behind his No8's back foot nor infield, or he'll be offside. The attacking scrum-half can wander off the back of the scrum or inside to receive a pass or even be a decoy, which might seem inconsistent, but that's to encourage attacking rugby.
The final ELV, on corner posts, means players can touch the flags or posts going in to score and the try will stand - the post is no longer out of play – provided they don't hit the touchline or ground the ball against the base of the post, which is out of play.
Hopefully, like all the ELVs, that will make officials' tasks a bit easier, and decisions less controversial."
The Scotsman would welcome the opinions of people attending games this season on what you feel is working and what is not.
djferguson@scotsman.com
The full article contains 613 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
