http://news.bbc.co.u...ion/7378416.stm
The IRB, in their "wisdom", has decided that a number of the new Stellenbosch Laws will be trialled in the Northern hemisphere (at all levels, from grass-roots to internationals), after their trial in the Super 14 this season.
Thankfully, the majority of the stupid ones are going to be restricted to just one competition. They haven't announced which one yet, but probably the European Challenge Cup, which no one cares about anyway.
The rules which will be trialled across the board are:
- Players can defend a maul by pulling it down.
- Introduction of an offside line five metres behind the hindmost feet of the scrum.
- No restriction on the number of players who can participate in the lineout from either side (minimum of two).
- The receiver in a lineout must stand two metres back from the lineout.
- Flags are no longer considered to be in touch in-goal except when a ball is grounded against the post.
Of these, only the pulling down of the maul will and the 5-meter offside line cause major ruptions, I suspect, although I fully expect some teams to have 14-man lineouts just to make a point.
On the other hand, the three other laws to be trialled in the unspecified competition will have a much more significant effect, I suspect.
- For all offences other than offside, not entering through the gate, and Law 10 - Foul Play, the sanction is a free kick.
- If the ball is unplayable at the breakdown, the side that did not take the ball into contact will receive a free kick.
- If a maul becomes unplayable, the team not in possession at the start of the maul receives a free kick.
Now, obviously under current rules the team who takes the ball into contact has possession if the ball becomes unplayable, and these last two laws, along with the pulling down of the maul appear simply to ruin the concept of what we currently see as the role of the forward, by encouraging them to spoil and stop the ball at every occasion.
Now, I haven't seen any of the games that have so far used these laws, so I cannot properly judge them until next season, but as a forward myself, this apparent downgrading makes me rather unhappy.
Has anyone seen the Stellenbosch Laws in effect in a match? Comments from anyone on these law changes, changes they would rather see, and the seeming bias towards the southern hemisphere game they would indicate?