KEY POINTS:
CAPE TOWN - A lot more kicking, a lot more time with the ball in play and the greater importance of territory over possession are among changes the All Blacks coaching staff have noticed under rugby's experimental law variations (ELVs).
Having worked with the ELVs for just four Tri-Nations tests, they say the learning process is still in progress.
But coach Graham Henry's early assessment is that the new rules are positive for the game as a spectacle.
"I know the guys enjoy playing under these laws," he said as the All Blacks prepared for their test against South Africa here on Sunday morning (NZT).
"They enjoy the challenge of the game under these particular laws."
In the All Blacks' loss to Australia in Sydney last month, the ball was in play for 39 minutes, Henry said.
That figure compared with the average of 25 to 26 minutes in test matches last year.
"So it's going to require a different athlete to play under these laws and be on the field for 80 minutes, and some astute substitutions," Henry said.
"It's a different ball game and it's something you learn as you go along."
Henry said one conclusion that could be drawn was that territory was more important than possession, which partly explained why the Springboks beat New Zealand in Dunedin last month despite doing so much tackling.
The number of times a team had a set-piece start was also important.
Assistant coach Wayne Smith said the amount of kicking done by teams had increased, and described the rise as remarkable.
He put that down to the rule change where free kicks, rather than scrum feeds, were awarded when the ball become unplayable at the breakdown.
It meant that it was not just a case of having possession, but how that possession was used, that counted and teams had to be effective with the ball in hand.
"Given the sanctions, you don't want to be caught too often in a breakdown in your own territory because you're liable to have a free kick against you and then the momentum starts for the other team," he said.
"Teams have kicked a lot more than they have in the past. I think it's a consequence of that law and wanting to attack when there's an opportunity, but when there's not, to put the pressure back on the other team."
- NZPA
