ELVs in lay language

The Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) will be used in the Super 14 in curtailed form and in all South Africa’s domestic rugby in their full form. We try to make them easier to understand.

Eleven of the top referees in South Africa, led by Andre Watson, South Africa’s referee manager, and Tappe Henning, a referees’ selector at the International Rugby Board, have been studying the ELVs which they will start using soon. Following this camp, the whole Provincial panel convened to get up to speed on the total package of ELVs that will apply to all SA Competitions for 2008.

The ELVs will be introduced in a curtailed form in the Super 14 and will apply to pre-tournament friendlies which start on 19 January.

CLICK HERE for the Super 14 ELVs.

In addition the full ELVs will be introduced into all domestic rugby in South Africa. All domestic rugby includes Vodacom Cup, club rugby, high school rugby and primary school rugby.

The referees aimed to clarify their own understanding in the interests of consistency and in order to inform referees and players in the 14 provinces.

At the end of the four days, the referees wrote a practical exam which included the ELVs.

What follows is a summary in “layman’s terms” of the laws as explained, discussed and clarified.

<B>1. The corner posts</b> exist only to help the touch judges in determining whether the ball crossed the touch-line or the touch-in-goal line. They have no effect on any decision related to the touch-line, the touch-in-goal line or the goal line.

If the ball or a ball-carrier touches a cornerpost, it does not effect any decision by the match officials. The lines determine  the decision.
If a ball strikes the post and bounces back in in-goal or the field of play, play goes on.

2. Kick-offs (This will not apply in Super 14)

Errors at the kick-off will almost be treated in the same way that they are in Sevens.

Advantage applies, but if a ball does not travel 10 metres or is kicked directly into touch, it is a free kick to the non-kicking team.
If the kicker’s team-mates are ahead of the kick, a free kick is awarded to the opponents.
If the ball goes into the in-goal and a defender immediately makes the ball dead, by grounding it or kicking it dead, it is a free kick to his side at the middle of the half-way line.

The team that scored, will receive the restart kick.

The same applies to drop kicks.

3. Quick throw-ins

The quick throw-in need not be straight. The player taking the quick throw-in may pass the ball back to a team-mate. He may not pass it forward.

4. Kicking directly into touch from within the 22

If opponents have played the ball into the 22, a defender is allowed to kick the ball directly into touch and have the line-out where the ball went out.

But if the defender’s team took the ball back into the 22 and he kicked the ball directly into touch, the line-out is opposite the place where he kicked the ball. There is no gain of ground.

This happens

if a team-mate passes the ball from outside the 22 back into the 22;
if the team has the ball in a maul outside the 22 and is pushed back into the 22;
if a scrum is awarded just outside the 22 and the ball is heeled and emerges on or inside the 22;
if a player gets the ball in touch outside the 22 and moves back within the 22 and takes a quick throw-in;
If a free kick or penalty is awarded outside the 22 and taken inside the 22.

There are concessions in all of this.

If after the defenders have taken the ball back into the 22, there is a tackle, ruck or maul, then they gain ground if they kick the ball directly into touch.

If the ball lands outside the 22 but rolls in touch inside the 22, the defender is allowed to gain ground if he kicks directly into touch from a quick throw-in.

5. “Truck and trailer” (This will not apply in Super 14)

This is no longer penalised if it starts from a maul which splinters. Players of the team with the ball in the maul may continue to advance provided that they are bound together (at least two players). Players may be in front of the ball-carrier. This is now considered general play and this truck and trailer can be approached from any direction by opposition players.

It must start from a maul. A team may not set up such a formation from the start and drive it forward with the ball-carrier behind the front players. That would still be penalised as obstruction – “truck and trailer”.

6. Pulling a maul down (This will not apply in Super 14)

There is now a legal way to stop a maul by deliberately bringing it to ground.

It remains illegal to lift legs in the maul or to grab a player around the neck or to tackle a maul.

The legal way of stopping a maul would be to pull it down.

A player in the maul is now allowed pull down an opponent by grabbing him anywhere from hips to shoulders and pulling him to ground. If this causes the maul to collapse there is no penalty.

From the shoulders means not above the line of the shoulder. By the hips means not below the waistband.

A legal collapse of the maul is a successful end to the maul.

7. Tackle/ruck

There are some big innovations here – off-side at the tackle, the ball unplayable at a tackle/ruck and the use of hands in the ruck, and then the sanctions which will be applied.
(Hands in the ruck will not apply to Super 14)

a. Off-side

There is an off-side line at  a tackle which will stretch from touch-line to touch-line and will change with each successive tackle. This is true whether or not a ruck is formed.
The tackled player and the tackler are not subject to the off-side law – provided that they get back to their feet to play.

This will apply to both Super 14 and to South Africa’s domestic rugby.

This change may be most obvious when a player breaks, runs for some distance and is tackled by the fullback, meaning that 14 players of the fullback’s team are in an off-side position.

Players in an off-side position at a tackle come on-side if they reach an on-side position or if an opponent kicks the ball or runs five metres with the ball.

In the second case running five metres with the ball is in any direction.

Sanction: a penalty kick. This applies to side entry because it will fall under off-side – the offending player crossing the off-side line to enter the tackle.

b. Unplayable

If the ball at a tackle or ruck or maul is unplayable, the referee will award a free kick to the team not in possession at the start of the tackle or ruck.

c. Use of hands (This will not apply in Super 14)

Players in a ruck who are on their feet are allowed to use their hands in a ruck to win possession provided that they are not guilty of foul play.

Hands may be used to pick up the ball. That means that it is possible to turn a ruck into a maul. Opponents are allowed to pull a maul down but are not allowed to pull a ruck down.

d. Sanctions

We have already mentioned the sanction for being off-side and having an effect on play – a penalty kick.

Dangerous/foul play is always a penalty kick.

The following have been changed from penalty kicks to free kicks:

lying on the ground on or over the ball
falling on or over a player lying on the ground
going off feet at a tackle/ruck
lying on the ground and playing the ball

If any of the above becomes deliberately infringing or repeated infringement. A penalty kick will be awarded.

The following remain penalties:

kicking the ball from the hands of a tackled player when he is at the goal-line
collapsing the ruck
jumping on top of a ruck
stamping on a player on the ground

8. Line-outs
a. Numbers will no longer apply at line-outs in the domestic competition. They will continue to apply in Super 14. Domestically, a team may put as many players into the line-out as it can fit between 5m and 15m, regardless of whether it is throwing into the line-out or not. (This will not apply in Super 14)

b. A team need not have a receiver (scrumhalf) at the line-out, but if they do, he must stand 2m from the line-of-touch.

c. The immediate opponent of the player throwing into a line-out (usually a hooker) must be two metres from the line-out.

This is to prevent the non-throwing hooker from standing at his front man and lifting him, giving him an edge on the jumper of the team throwing in the ball who would be at No.2 in the line-out if he wanted support from his front man.

d. Pre-gripping of the jumper and lifting of the jumper are allowed. These are de facto practices already.

e. Sanctions: There has been no change to the sanctions in the line-out except that in domestic competitions the free kick for wrong numbers falls away and for an incorrect throw-in a free kick is awarded where previously it had been a scrum

9. Kick-offs and drop-outs (This will not apply in Super 14)

a. Sanctions: As in Sevens rugby, errors by the kicking team result in Free Kicks.

if the kicker’s players are in front of the kick – free kick
if the kick does not travel 10m – free kick
if the ball is kicked into in-goal and is immediately dead – free kick
if the ball goes directly into touch – option of a free kick or a line-out.

10. Scrums

a. The offside lines for players not in the scrum or involved in putting the ball into the scrum is 5 metres back from the back foot of their last player in the scrum.

This affects defending scrumhalves in two ways:

(i) If the scrumhalf of the team not winning the ball moves more than a metre from the scrum, he must drop back to the off-side line five metres behind the scrum.

(ii) If the scrumhalf stays close to the scrum but wants to go to the “other side” of the scrum, he must not advance beyond a line through the rearmost foot on his side of the scrum.

b. Sanctions: It is a penalty for off-side.

There are changes to the sanctions:

Having too few players in a scrum: free kick
If the prop pushes in at an angle: free kick
Incorrect binding by props and hookers – free kick
Incorrect binding by others in the scrum – free kick
Handling in the scrum – free kick
Falling on the ball as it emerges from the scrum, – free kick
Scrumhalf kicking the ball in the scrum – free kick

CLICK HERE for a full ELVs summary.