ELVs creep into Hawke's Bay game

Wairarapa-Bush will have another challenge to counter when they meet Hawke's Bay in a non-championship rugby match at Memorial Park, Masterton on Queen's Birthday Monday.
As if keeping the final scoreline to within reasonable bounds won't be a big enough test for the locals who have already been walloped 98-0 by a Wellington XV this season they will also be playing under the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) for the first time.
These are the rules which have been in vogue for this season's Super 14 competition and under which the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland championship inter-provincial competitions will be played as well
Wairarapa-Bush coach Kelvin Tantrum said that with the ELVs not being operable in club rugby it had to be accepted his players would take a little time to become accustomed to them.
"Obviously we have been looking at them pretty closely in training but we'll get a better idea on Monday on how best we can utilise them," he said. "Adjusting perfectly to the different interpretations won't happen overnight, we know that."
Tantrum said it was important players-and spectators for that manner- didn't anticipate teams like Wairarapa-Bush necessarily playing a similar style of rugby under the ELVs to the Super 14 sides.
"They are professional rugby players and their skills levels are way, way above anything we have," he said.
"And the time they have to spend on preparation means change comes easily for them, not like at our level where players basically have to cope with playing under one set of rules in club games and another for rep games, all within a few days."
Tantrum is convinced though that even for the Wairarapa-Bushs of the rugby world the ELVs will mean swifter movement of the ball, especially from the contact areas, and therefore fitness would be of paramount importance.
"That's where the big test is going to be for players who are used to the speed of club rugby, it's going to be a huge difference from what they experience there," he said.
"But at the same time you need to be aware of the need to play the game at a pace which suits you, to slow things down when that is the appropriate thing to do. If you don't have the fitness capacity of the opposition you have to take that into account.".
A brief outline of the ELV's is.-
n Inside the 22m line: When a defending player receives the ball outside the 22m line and passes, puts or takes the ball back inside the 22 the following can occur (a) if the ball is then kicked directly into touch the lineout is in line with where the ball was kicked and (b) if a tackle, ruck or maul is subsequently formed or an opponent plays the ball and the ball is then kicked directly into touch, the lineout is where the ball crossed the touch line.
n Lineout: On a quick throw in the ball can be thrown straight or backwards towards the defender's goal line, but not forward towards the opposition goal line, there is no maximum number of players in the lineout but there is a minimum of two, neither team determines numbers in the lineout, if a lineout throw is not straight the option is a lineout or a free kick to the non throwing team.
n Breakdown, tackle or post tackle: Players entering the breakdown area must do so through the gate (rigidly applied), a tackled player must immediately play the ball and may not be prevented from playing the ball by any player who is off their feet, if the ball is unplayable at the breakdown the side that did not take the ball into contact will receive a free kick, if the ball is received directly from a kick and a tackle occurs immediately, and the ball becomes unplayable, the free kick is given to the team who received the kick , a scrum option is available for all free kicks.
n Maul: Defending players can pull down the maul, players joining the maul which go through the gate (rigidly applied), if a maul becomes unplayable the team not in possession at the start of the maul receives a free kick, the "truck and trailer" is no longer an offence.
n Scrum: The offside line for players who are not in the scrum and who are not playing at halfback is 5m behind the innermost foot of the scrum.
n Sanctions: For all offences other than offside, not entering through the gate and foul play, the sanction is a free kick (short armed penalty).
Club draw:
Senior firsts: Puketoi v Gladstone, Pongoroa at 2.30pm (G,Reisima); East Coast v Marist, Whareama at 2.45pm (C.Jefferies; G.Hall and R.Wakelin);Carterton v Eketahuna, Carterton at 2.45pm (D.Goodin; R McKay and home team); Martinborough v Greytown,Martinborough at 2.30pm (A.Stringer; A,Payne and D.Hands); Pioneer a bye.
Senior thirds: Masterton Red Star v Pioneer, Memorial Park at 1pm (V.Peterson; S O'Gorman and T.Lyford); East Coast v Marist, Whareama at 1pm (G.Hall); Carterton v Eketahuna,Carterton at 1pm (R.McKay); Featherston v Gladstone, Featherston at 1pm (C.Dallas, Wellington).
The draw for Queen's Birthday Monday is: Wairarapa-Bush v Hawke's Bay, Memorial Park at 2pm (M Fraser Wellington; A.Stringer, C..Jefferies, D.Goodin and M.Brown); Wairarapa College first XV v Chanel College first XV, Memorial Park at 12.30pm (S O'Gorman; D.Goodin and V.Peterson); Wairarapa police v Manawatu police, Memorial Park at 11am (D Goodin; A.Payne and T.Lyford).