Rugby: Tackle zone remains game's spaghetti junction

NZRU chief executive Steve Tew. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Rugby's spaghetti junction remains an unresolved mess despite ongoing efforts by administrators to clean up the adjudication of the breakdown area.

Officials are still grappling to find a universal answer to clean up the tackle zone to ensure a fair contest for the ball at the breakdown.

Southern hemisphere nations have trialled new refereeing sanctions, with free kicks used to speed up the game.

However, other than France and Scotland, northern hemisphere nations have not even bothered to road test such sanctions and they continue to argue offences at the breakdown constitute a full arm penalty despite the fact frequent stoppages are a blight on the game.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew today acknowledged that area of the game needed more attention following an International Rugby Board (IRB) conference in Dublin which ended overnight.

Conference delegates discussed the impact of the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) being trialled around the world and recommended that 10 of them should become law when the IRB's full council meets in Dublin on May 13.

The two most controversial ELVs, allowing the maul to be pulled down and sanctions regarding free kicks, were not ratified.

"The sanctions are most handy at the tackle and ruck situation because you don't have to go to a straight penalty every time there is an infringement," Tew said.

"It is the part of the game which is the most difficult to both play and referee."

He said there were hopes the IRB could be encouraged to initiate a more literal interpretation of the current law to allow the first tackler to continue working for the ball with his hands irrespective of whether a ruck is formed.

"At the moment it is a bit like going through green, orange and red lights without the orange light.

"Hopefully we can improve the contest and give the referee more discretion if we allow that player to hang on to the ball and finish the act he had started."

The maul, the traditional strength of northern hemisphere countries especially England, has virtually disappeared from the game since the ELVs began last August.

The idea of each team determining the number of players in lineouts was also rejected and the sanctions ELV which caused most offences to be penalised with free kicks is to be reviewed.

One of the ELVs recommended to become law is the pass-back rule, which prevents players from making any ground with a kick to touch if the ball has been played back into their own 22.

Tew said one of the most pleasing aspects to emerge from the conference was a general acceptance that any future new law trials needed to be conducted globally.

"We had the rather ridiculous situation yesterday where the Six Nations were en masse rejecting law variations which they had not trialled," Tew said.

"It's fair to say that raised a few eyebrows given they were telling us why they didn't work. They were basing their arguments on assumptions rather than facts."

He said it was agreed any future trials had to be conducted globally and at the same time to ensure "we don't confuse ourselves and everybody else in the process".

ELVs - the details

ELVs recommended for adoption into law
Law 6 - assistant referees allowed (re-naming of touch judges).
Law 19 - Kicking directly into touch from ball played back into 22 equals no gain in ground.
Law 19 - Quick (lineout) throw permitted in any direction except forward.
Law 19 - Positioning of player in opposition to the player throwing in to be two metres away from lineout and the line of touch.
Law 19 - Pre-gripping of lineout jumpers allowed.
Law 19 - Lifting in the lineout allowed.
Law 19 - Positioning of receiver must be two metres away from lineout.
Law 20 - Five-metre offside line at the scrum.
Law 20 - Halfback offside line at the scrum.
Law 22 - Corner posts no longer touch in goal.

ELVs not recommended for adoption into law
Law 17 - Maul - Head and shoulders not to be lower than hips.
Law 17 - Maul - Pulling down the maul.
Law 19 - Freedom for each team to determine lineout numbers.

Sanctions and Free-kicks (subsidiary recommendation for further examination).

Tackle/ruck infringements (subsidiary recommendation for ruling in law to be sought by a union to clarify interpretation of current law).

Union specific (rules which can be adopted by one country) ELVs recommended
Up to 15 minutes' half-time.
Rolling substitutions for community game.
Use of Under-19 variations at the scrum for community adult game where agreed by the union.

Union specfic ELV not recommended
Protocol to extend the remit of the television match official.

- NZPA