Should they stay or should they go?

They've been around, in one form or another, for nearly two years now. Sadly, many times it has come to pass that we have ended up talking about them when really, we'd like to be talking about the rugby…

They've been around, in one form or another, for nearly two years now. Sadly, many times it has come to pass that we have ended up talking about them when really, we'd like to be talking about the rugby…

But it seems that at last, on May 13, a final decision on the ELVs will be reached. Some will stay. Others, according to reports, will not. But we still have six weeks to go in which to evaluate.

Free kicks or penalties? To collapse the maul or not? Numbers at line-outs? Where must the scrum-half stand? All of these aspects have been under ELV scrutiny, and here, we assess those that have worked and those that have not, as well as adding a couple of extra suggestions…

1) Assistant Referees – Assistant Referees can assist referees in any manner required when appointed by a match organiser.

Positives: Players are certainly better behaved off the ball (except in France), and there have been a number of infringements like offsides and forward passes that have been caught by the Assistants that were missed by the man in the middle. There have certainly been fewer howlers by officials in general.

Negatives: Not many. The biggest one, which is absolutely not the fault of the Assistant Referees, is the proliferation of diving and faking late tackles to get the Assistant Referee's attention. There are also more officials to back-chat to; at least the referee had absolute authority at all times before, now it is occasionally diluted. Then there is the sheer unwillingness of the Assistant Referees to call 'try' or 'no try' at times, which can be infuriating.

Verdict: The positives outweigh the negatives. Keep it.

2) Posts and flags around the field – The corner posts are no longer considered to be in touch in-goal except when a ball is grounded against the post.

Positives: We've had some classic dives into the corner for tries and it has made it far easier to adjudicate on touchdowns for the TMO.

Negatives: None whatsoever.

Verdict: More tries! Better tries! Keep it!

3) Line-out and throw – If a team puts the ball back into their own 22 and the ball is subsequently kicked directly into touch there is no gain of ground.

Positives: The ball has definitely stayed in play for more time. It also is a form of punishing errant kicking, which occasionally makes a kicker think twice about kicking at all.

Negatives: Kickers kick so far these days that teams are getting round not being able to kick to touch by thumping it deep into the opposition's half. Whereupon it is kicked back. And kicked back. And… you get the picture. Some of the kicking really has been aimless and incredibly frustrating for the spectator. As one pundit put it: “It's great that the ball is in play for five minutes longer per game, but all a bit futile if it spends ten minutes longer per game 50 feet up in the air.”

Verdict: Well, as the game develops, coaches will find methods of counter attacking from the long aimless kicks now they have all worked out how to defend it. So we say keep it and give it a bit more time, as the initial goal of keeping the ball alive more has been achieved. We also think it might be an interesting experiment to say that only penalties may be kicked directly to touch and all other kicks should either bounce in or stay infield. Discuss?

4) Line-out and throw – A quick throw may be thrown in straight or towards the throwing team's own goal line.

Positives: Fewer restrictions on players attempting counter attacks from deep, not least because chasers are forced into a more extensive chase as a result of this threat and can be taken out of the defensive equation by good handling. Certainly this area has speeded up an aspect of the game.

Negatives: None.

Verdict: More potential handling action and more attacking freedom. Keep it.

5) Line-out and throw – There is no restriction on the number of players who can participate in the line-out from either side (minimum of two).

Positives: It has made the referees' jobs easier policing the numbers, and does give an element of tactical freedom to coaches at the set piece regarding where to position players. Creative coaches have made it work very well at times.

Negatives: Allowing a couple of extra bodies to stand out in the backs at the set piece has cluttered the midfield with defenders making line-breaks much harder, while having an extra pair of crash-bash runners in the middle has not really made much difference for the attacking side.

Verdict: Bin it. It's a set piece, so there is time for a referee to organise it with regards to numbers and it creates other headaches for referees away from the set piece with regards to subsequent positioning of forwards and frequent midfield obstructions because of the glut of players. Being as line-outs these days provide only marginally a less steady stream of possession than scrums, shouldn't it be right that, as with a scrum, the teams should have equal numbers of players in equal places?

6) Line-out and throw – The receiver in a line-out must stand 2 metres back from the line-out.

Positives: It helps the defending team read the line-out better.

Negatives: It helps the defending team read the line-out better! Keep the receivers in the line-out and the defending team has less time to react, making attacking ball easier to claim and attacks easier to launch. It also creates one more thing for the referee to monitor.

Verdict: Bin it. Let's have the line-out with equal numbers of players from each team, all in a line. Neat and tidy.

7) Line-out and throw – The player who is in opposition to the player throwing in the ball may stand in the area between the 5 metre line and touch line but must be 2 metres away from the line-out.

Positives: It prohibits any possible interference from the opposition player in question.

Negatives: None really.

Verdict: On the basis of one very slight positive and no apparent negatives, keep it. But we can't think of one match where it has made a significant difference, indeed, most opposition players in question stood where they are being told to stand anyway.

8)Line-out and throw – Line-out players may pre-grip a jumper before the ball is thrown in.

Positives: It cleans up the movement at the set piece and makes both claiming and contesting the throw-in easier. It is also gives the referee one inconsequential thing less to look out for.

Negatives: None really – it barely interferes with the game.

Verdict: Keep it. It clears up a minor grey area and doesn't really interfere with the