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The Southern Hemisphere's best rugby players could be faced with switching between the game's experimental laws and the existing laws four times this season.
No decision has yet been made about whether the Tri Nations or Air New Zealand Cup will be played under the new or old laws, but Super 14 players who make the All Blacks for the June international window will definitely face a switch back to the old laws.
New Zealand Rugby Union professional rugby manager Neil Sorenson said a decision on the Tri Nations could come down to such practicalities as referee appointments. If the International Rugby Board (IRB) appoints Northern Hemisphere referees to a good portion of the nine tests then common sense would dictate that their unfamiliarity with the Experimental Law Variations, or ELVs, would see the status quo remain (though common sense and sports administration are too often uneasy bedfellows).
"It will be decided at Sanzar CEO level after input from the coaches," Sorenson said. "But things to consider are who is going to be officiating these tests.
"From memory about half the matches are officiated by Northern Hemisphere referees so I can't imagine Paddy [O'Brien, IRB referees' manager] wanting to disrupt their match allocation to ensure Sanzar referees officiated every Tri Nations test under ELVs."
Under an original IRB timetable, they were to make a decision on the ELVs in May but that has now been pushed back to November. "We were pretty confident the Tri Nations would be played under the ELVs but now we're not so sure," Sorenson said. "We have to decide whether, in terms of the three international windows, we go current-ELVs-current, or current-current-current."
There could well be a scenario where the Super 14 is governed by ELVs, the June tests by the old laws, the Tri Nations again under the old laws before the Air New Zealand Cup reverts to the ELVs. The end-of-year Grand Slam tour of Britain will almost certainly be refereed under the old laws.
The issue will affect players and referees more than coaches, who generally have one team to worry about (Robbie Deans being the exception) but those spoken to at the Blues suggest the players have become relatively adept at switching in and out of ELVs mode as the situation requires.
While the impact of the ELVs will be presented to the IRB in November, the earliest they can be written into law is at the end of 2009.
Friday night's Super 14 clash between the Crusaders and Brumbies will be the first time most fans will see the new laws in action, but the response from coaches has been positive. Deans has been the ELVs most enthusiastic salesman, saying "I think it'll be good for the game".
There might be an ulterior motive for his enthusiasm. The laws are said to emasculate some of rugby's traditional battlegrounds, particularly the scrum - not bad news for an incoming Wallabies coach.
Although the scores have varied wildly in the Super 14 warm-up games - the Crusaders beat the Hurricanes 55-33 before pipping the Force 12-7 - the matches were invariably reported to be faster, with shots at goal reduced.
"I think we all expect to see a lot more running in the game," Force coach John Mitchell said after the match against the Crusaders.
"The dynamic of the free kick's going to have a greater influence, as is the scrum law with the backs being back another five metres."
Sorenson said player and coach feedback indicated that at least six of the ELVs were considered "no-brainers". "There's still a bit of work to do at the ruck I think but the rest have been embraced," he said.
He also it would be decided in the next month whether to apply to the IRB to have the Air New Zealand Cup played under ELVs. Club rugby would be played under the current laws.
ELVS IN A NUTSHELL
* Free kicks, not penalties, for technical offences except offside and entering a ruck from the side.
* If the ball is kicked out on the full after being passed back into the 22m, the lineout will form from where the ball was kicked.
* The lineout does not need equal numbers; the ball can be passed backwards from a quick lineout.
* Backs, aside from the halfback, must stand 5m behind the last man's feet during the scrum.
* The team taking the ball into a maul must get it out or concede a free kick.
* Players involved in a ruck must remain on their feet and the halfback must remain unmolested until he gets his hands on the ball. Free kick to the defending team if the attacking team cannot free the ball.
* Increased responsibility for touch judges, particularly when administering offsides.
