IRB Laws Project Group: Stellenbosch

Part 1.   Rugby Union has a problem. The game has become over technical and, at times, boring. Despite the wealth of games available (over Easter you had your pick of seven Super 14 games, an U19 World Cup, Easter Rugby Festivals and more) the public are slowly turning away from our special game. 

Newlands and Ellis Park aren't only emptying due to the poor performances of the Stormers and the Cats. The product is in danger of being stifled as the professional teams get to grips with the rules and how to exploit them in your favour. A mysterious scrum penalty will be cancelled out on the scoreboard when a break is killed by a player 'slowing down' the ball in desperate defence. From the restart a player at the ruck will go off his feet. His flyhalf will kick the ball into touch to set up a rolling maul and the forwards will rumble it upfield before one of them is blown for 'truck and trailer'. Boring.

In Stellenbosch an IRB Laws Project Group (allow them a fancy name at least) are trialling several new laws with a view to introducing them in 2008. Rod MacQueen, Ian MacIntosh, Paddy O'Brien, Pierre Villepreux, Richie Dixon and Bruce Cook were all in town a while back to meet and discuss several new laws that could make the laws, and the game, simpler.

Part 2.   The new laws that they are looking to introduce are:

  • Hands allowed in the ruck

  • Penalties only for foul play or offside

  • No number restrictions at the lineout

  • Collapsing of a maul to be allowed

  • A ball passed back into the 22 can't be kicked out directly

  • Touch judges to police the offside

 Hands allowed in the ruck

The most radical of the proposed rule changes will see players allowed to play the ball on the ground in a ruck. In fact the only rule at a ruck will be that players will have to enter a ruck from their side (or through the gate if you prefer). Otherwise everything else goes. Hands, off your feet, bridging, protecting the ball, killing the ball you name it. Don't be alarmed if you think it sounds like chaos. It is. The side who takes the ball to ground have 5 seconds to get the ball out otherwise the opposing team are awarded a free kick or a scrum. 

Part 3.   The idea behind the change is that it makes the laws less about what you can do and not about what you can't do. It eliminates some 30 laws concerning the breakdown. It also discourages players to take the ball to ground as the ball is easily tied up. Offloading in the tackle becomes crucial and when a player goes to ground it is to his advantage to keep the ball away from his body. 

Referees only need to police the offside now at ruck time. There's no telling players what to do. It's simple - use it or lose it.

 

Penalties only awarded for foul play or offside

All other infringements will become tap penalties.

 

No number restrictions at the lineout.

Teams can have one player or fifteen in the lineout completely at their discretion. Once again it sounds like anarchy but it leaves the referee free to police other things while giving teams the freedom to dictate their own tactics at the lineout. This proposed rule has been tried out on a few occasions and all the feedback seems to suggest that it works well.  

Part 4.

Collapsing the maul allowed

The rolling maul has become such a problem that they are trialing this law change. Initially it was feared that it may increase the incidents of injury but so far it seems that this is not the case. The rolling maul is boring to watch, doesn't take much skill to execute and is not a measure of which side is the better rugby team. Seeing the back of it can't come soon enough.

Ball passed back into the 22 

If a ball is passed back into the 22 it can't be kicked out directly

This would decrease the amount of aerial ping pong and also make tactical attacking kicks around the 22m area a new weapon.  The defending team would be forced to attack with any ball fielded outside the 22 or kick it upfield without kicking it directly.  It seems a sensible rule to promote attacking play.

Part 5.

Touch judges to police the offside

They are looking to get the touch judge to become more like a soccer 'assistant referee' in policing the offside. Theoretically it could lead to better marshalling of the offside line but personally I fear that all we will get is more touch judges interfering and trying to get themselves on the TV. I'm reserving judgement on this one.

In chatting to a few players from Stellenbosch the game obviously gets "very tiring". The rucks and mauls were the expected free for all in the first few games but started to take shape as the players got used to the new rules (or lack thereof). Interestingly, the captain has a huge responsibility in these games. He has a split second option to take a quick tap at a 'dead' ruck. He has to assess the fitness of his players and that of the opposition in deciding whether to keep the game moving or to slow it down. 

Part 6.

Statistics from the games show a dramatic reduction in the penalty count. After three rounds with the new rules, a full game had just six penalties. Three of those were from blatant high tackles and stupid offences.

Here are some ideas we’d like the IRB to look at.

If a player missed a penalty attempt at goal, the game should start back at the halfway, not the 22. Discourage penalties, encourage tries.

Change the points awarded. Six points for a try, 2 for a penalty, 2 for a conversion, 3 for a drop goal might be a good place to start.

If the opposition doesn't contest then there can be no skew throw at the lineout. Encouraging teams to compete at the lineout instead of waiting to 'sack' the attacking team will enable the team in possession greater attacking options.

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