ENGLAND

England and Wales reject extra ELVs

Wednesday 16th July 2008

David Pickering: Wants a 'measured' ELV process

The English clubs and Welsh regions have rejected a proposal to trial some more of the ELVs in next season's EDF Energy Cup, raising ire in the southern unions and especially Australia.

The three new laws: free-kicks rather than penalties for all offences bar offside and serious foul play and some changes to the ruck and maul laws ensuring unplayable ball would result in a free-kick to the opposition, had been earmarked for trial in the EDF Energy Cup at the IRB meeting in May, but the unions have told the IRB that the English clubs and Welsh franchises have rejected the proposals.

The reaction in Australia was explosive, with ARU CEO John O'Neill saying the game could be split in two as Australia was determined to push the new laws through.

The IRB has written to the English and Welsh unions asking them to reconsider but the answer is still a resounding no. Grassroots power, it seems, is speaking.

"The reason we wanted the three variations trialled in just one professional competition was the fears we had of their impact on the community game," said the chairman of the Rugby Football Union's management board, Martyn Thomas to The Guardian.

"The unions were happy to give them a go in the EDF, but the clubs and the regions, quite understandably, had serious reservations.

"It would have meant them playing one set of rules one week and another the next and, given the fragmented nature of the EDF, there was doubt whether the trial would have been of any value."

"We cannot go against the wishes of those taking part in the EDF. My concern after attending last week's IRB meeting in Hong Kong is that the southern hemisphere nations are looking for law changes to solve problems that are economic in origin and it does not seem the right way to go about it."

The IRB is organising a conference on the ELVs next March to discuss whether any or all of them should be made law for the 2009-10 European season.

WRU chairman David Pickering rubbished the notion that Wales was wavering over the current ELV proposal for next season, but said that the WRU had opted against a full ELV trial such as in the Australian Rugby Championship last year.

"In Wales all 13 new ELVs approved by the IRB will be part of every game so that we can all clearly see how the new rules modernise and improve the spectacle of rugby for supporters and the enjoyment of all the players who take part," Pickering said.

"The original 24 suggested new laws have been pared down to the 13 and there has been widespread agreement not to adopt the experimental sanctions which replaced penalties with free-kicks for some infringements.

"Here in Wales we agreed with the sentiment that the sanctions were a step too far.

"The ELVs represent a change in how the game is played so it is vitally important that we adopt a measured and reasoned view on how to effectively implement them.

"Certain ELVs have been considered but not approved by the WRU and other nations. We stand by the democratic process on law change which allows for measured governance of our game."

The laws that have been rejected are currently on show in the Tri-Nations. The general impression is that they have speeded up the game, but at the cost of some of the game's shape, which is not a desirable effect in the north.

O'Neill said on Monday that the north's determination to slow down change would leave the game in a 'quandary' and threatened to split the game in two globally.

"People in the north are saying, 'You just want the game to look more like rugby league'," O'Neill said.

"Do you reckon the last two All Blacks-Springboks tests look like rugby league? They have got to be kidding. You don't have to be Einstein to work out what's the far more impressive game.

"We are seeing a faster, more aerobic, and much better game, not a situation of one hemisphere getting an advantage over the other.

"We're just saying to England, Wales, Ireland and the IRB, give it a fair go.

"To say 'we are not going to trial them' is not in the best interest of the game. And this is a tremendous test for the IRB leadership to stare down England, Wales and Ireland and force them to find competitions to trial the sanctions.

"The fact is, anyone who was at the 2007 World Cup knows the semi-final and finals were very poor spectacles. They were not good games of rugby.

"And so far the first two test matches played under the ELVs have been absolutely fantastic."