WITH THE university rugby season drawing ever closer, gair rhydd asked five experienced rugby players their views on how the new experimental law variations (ELVs) will affect the way the game is played and its popularity.
Essentially there are five key rule changes that are aimed to make the game quicker and more aesthetically pleasing to the viewer.
Rule 1: It is now legal to pull down a maul, as long as contact is made from the hips upwards.
The art of mauling seems to have been compromised in favour of an attacking driven initiative. While less time will be spent with the ball being invisible to the spectators, one of the dark arts of the game will be lost forever.
Ed Fowler, 3rd year Ancient History: Collapsing the maul is definitely detrimental to the game. First of all it’s unsafe, and big packs like Leicester lose that facet to their game.
Rule 2: If passing back into the twenty-two the kick must not go directly into touch. If it does then play is brought back to where the kick was made.
This robs the defence of the option to kick for territory instead having to resort to counter attacks and tactical kicking. Although this has the potential to open the game up it could also prove a mess at a lower level of rugby.
Mark George Barton, 3rd year Journalism: Danny Cipriani is the perfect example of the new breed of fly half and these rules favour a more spontaneous player. The new rules play into his hands, whereas somebody like Andy Goode will struggle a bit.
Rule 3: Quick lineouts can be thrown backwards as long as they pass the 5 metre line, encouraging quick counter attacks.
Rule 4: Numbers at the lineout no longer have to match, creating different attacking and defensive options.
These two rules are both aimed at reducing the amount of time spent setting up the lineout. Again favouring attack or counter attacking options, it is another attempt to speed the game up and renders a once important facet of the game a shadow of its former self.
Sam Wooderson 3rd year Law: As a forward these laws are particularly disappointing. It’s a shame for rugby to lose such a technical aspect of the game.
Rule 5: Defensive lines must now form up five meters behind the back foot of the scrum, allowing the attacking side more space to manoeuvre.
This will allow the backs more time for creativity in order to bamboozle defence-orientated sides that dominate the game and hopefully serve up higher scoring games for the spectators.
Andrew Kandibard, 1st year Zoology: From an impartial perspective the England games in the 2007 World Cup were pretty dull and were decided on one or two defensive errors.
While some rugby fans are concerned that the game will change beyond recognition, the reality is that tight and tense contests will turn into a high-scoring spectacle for the viewer.
Whereas Rugby Union has been speedily growing in popularity in the northern hemisphere, Rugby Union has taken a back seat to the more free flowing games of Aussie Rules and Rugby League in the Southern hemisphere.
The Super 14 league (the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of the Guiness Premiership) has adopted even greater changes in an attempt to put it on a par with its exciting rival sports and this may prove problematic in the interpretation of the rules during internationals such as the upcoming lions tour to South Africa.
Rugby has to compete with other major sports for popularity and funding and a movement towards a more open and attacking game will boost its popularity with a younger audience.
Further information on the law changes can be found at www.rfu.com.
