13 changes to the laws. These are collective known as ELVs (Experimental Law Variations)
The IRB has announced that ELV's will become effective globally on August 1st, 2008. The following are the specific ELV's:
Law 6 - Match Officials
1. Assistant referees are able to assist the referee in any way that the referee requires.
Law 17 - Maul
2. Remove reference to head and shoulders not being lower than hips.
3. Players are able to defend a maul by pulling it down. The Referee and Laws Committee Clarification:
Pulling Down a Maul
- The explanitory notes refer to pulling down an opposing player. The actual wording of the Law simply refers to pulling down a player in the maul.
While most of the time a player trying to pull down a maul will do so
by grasping an opponent, it is legal to pull down a teammate who is
part of the maul.
- I cannot emphasize enough that the maul can only be pulled down
legally by grasping a player's torso (shoulders to hips). Any taking
out of legs is still illegal and dangerous. The referee must be aware
of how the maul is taken down.
- Safety of players is one of the major concerns of the IRB. The IRB
has undertaken injury surveillance in NZ, Australia and South Africa.
The IRB has taken advice from a risk management consultant. The
results were such that the risk of injury as a result of the
introduction of the ELVs was not increased. This injury surveillance
continues. In four years of experimentation at the Cambridge
Laws Laboratory under the auspices of the RFU there were no injuries as
a result of the pulling down of the maul. The Law was framed around
their experiences.
Law 19 - Touch and Lineout
4. If
a team puts the ball back into its own 22 and the ball is subsequently
kicked directly into touch, there is no gain in ground.
5. A quick throw in may be thrown in straight or towards the throwing team's own goal line.
6. There is no restriction on the number of players from either team who can participate in the lineout.
7. The receiver at the lineout must be 2 metres away from the lineout.
8.
The player who is in opposition to the player throwing in the ball must
stand in the area between the 5-metre line and the touch line but must
be 2 metres away from the 5-metre line.
9. Lineout players may pre-grip a jumper before the ball is thrown in.
10. The lifting of lineout players is permitted. The Referee and Laws Committee Clarification:Quick Throw-ins
- Although the Law is not clearly worded, the throw-in must reach the
five-meter line before being played, regardless of the direction it is
thrown. This means that a player cannot throw the ball to a teammate
who is standing five meters back, but only one meter from touch.
Law 20 - Scrum
11. Introduction of an offside line 5 meters behind the hindmost feet of the scrum.
12. Identification of scrum half offside lines.
Law 22 – Corner Posts
13. The corner posts are no longer considered to be touch-in-goal except when the ball is grounded against the post.
ReferencesManual of the Changes ELV Website
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