The International Rugby Board’s Laws Project Group will meet with representatives of the Six Nations Unions on March 27 and 28 in London to share the latest information on the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) which are currently being trialled around the world.
IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset explained: “The IRB Rugby Committee established the Laws Project Group in 2005 and since then it has carried out an unprecedented programme of Experimental Law Variation trials around the world.
“It is the largest ever practical trial of new Law variations and has seen their implementation in junior and amateur levels of the game and of course right up to the professional game through the present trial in the Super 14.
“We are going to brief the senior European Unions in London following the conclusion of the Six Nations tournament. This briefing session is the next step in the consultation programme that has seen regular updates presented at meetings including IRB Council and the IRB General Assembly late last year.
“This information and consultation meeting will give the coaches and technical directors of the Unions the opportunity to see first hand detailed DVD footage of recent trials as well as full playing statistics gathered during the programme.
“The Laws Project Group will answer any questions on the comprehensive programme and in particular the Super 14 trial that, as it is played over a continuous three-month window, is providing an ideal professional environment for trials of the ELVs.
“This meeting will be followed in June by a comprehensive information exchange process in the form of written documentation that will be sent to all member Unions for comment. This will further assist the Unions in making an educated decision at the November Council meeting as to whether the ELVs, in total or in part, should be adopted for worldwide experimentation for a further 12 months,” he added.
In London, the Laws Project Group will have data available from all the ELV trials that started in the University Hostel competition at Stellenbosch University in South Africa in 2006. Since then trials utilising some or all of the ELVs have been carried out in Scotland, Ireland, France, England, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
The Super 14 is not trialling the full family of ELVs. However, the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup competitions in South Africa are trialling the full raft of ELVs. This will afford the Laws Project Group the opportunity to further compare and evaluate the ELVs and their impact on the game.
For information on the full Experimental Law Variations and those being trialled in the Super 14, please click here.
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