By Brian Dick, Birmingham Post
April 2 2009

Don’t be reassured by the fact the experiment is nearly over. There is, after all, no guaranteeing the mad professors at the International Rugby Board will look at the incontrovertible evidence and draw the same conclusions as the rest of the rugby-playing continent. They wouldn’t have proposed the ridiculous law variations in the first place if they had any sense of reason and having invested so much credibility in those despised ELVs the IRB and their self-justifying Laws Project Group will not back down meekly.

Yet, one suspects there is at least light at the end of the tunnel and while I hope it does not belong to an oncoming juggernaut intent on destroying forever the fabric of the union code, it appears the early season grumbling has crystallised into end-of-season mutiny.

Following a two-day series of meetings earlier this week between the IRB, the national unions and other stakeholders, the 13 Experimental Law Variations introduced to the northern hemisphere are at their lowest ebb yet.

The international body used the information it received on Monday and Tuesday to decide which of the new rules it wants to put before its Council and recommend are retained.

While a baker’s dozen were introduced at the start of the season, ten will be put before that body on May 13 in order to be ratified.

Thankfully the three most damaging will not be put forward. It seems the Europeans have beaten off the attempts of those down south to impose their structure on us.

The two relating to the maul, governing body angle and the fact it can be pulled down legally, have failed the test. They will be scrapped at the end of the season.

And the freedom for each team to determine lineout numbers has also been thrown in the circular file marked Waste of Time and Effort.

I can’t believe I’m writing this having moaned about legalised obstruction for years but – and here goes – how I long to see a well-structured rolling maul return to our pitches.

It is not a thing of beauty and I don’t understand why Twickenham goes berserk whenever the white-shirted orcs trundle over the halfway line but you have to admit it certainly ties in forwards and creates room out wide.

Those pesky piano movers have been popping up all over the park this season, much to the detriment of the flow of the sport. Do I want Darren Morris or Henry Trinder in the outside centre berth charged with delivering the scoring pass? Now let me think.

Pulling the maul down means defending teams need commit just one or two front five boys while the rest fan out, clogging up midfield and generally making a mess of things.

Parity of numbers at the lineout has been restored much for the same reason. To get forwards out of the way.

But others await ratification. I don’t really see the point of the new offside line 5m behind the scrum. It hasn’t really done anything other than give the officials something else to worry about.

click here for more on this article.

Why Northern influence was right in the case of ELVs

Discussion started by Unofficial Coventry Rugby (IP Logged), 02/04/2009 21:25

Unofficial Coventry Rugby
02/04/2009 21:25

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