Harlequins and the ELVs of SANZAR

So, they're coming (the Experimental Law Variations or ELVs also known as the Stellenbosch Laws) and even though we're not happy, we may have to face up to a change in the way we watch rugby next season. So, what will this do to Quins and the way we play.

How do we play? Well, our success this season has come from a hard, fast paced game allied to a strong defence; when we were stuck in the mire in mid-season we were playing very old school stuff. We now ship the ball about a lot more and use the young players to great effect in getting around the pitch. Our scrum is good. Mike Ross and Ceri Jones are very much underappreciated by other clubs but we know their worth, and not just in the scrums either. The amount of tackles they put in and their work at the rucks is phenomenal. Jones is a better ball carrier than Ross, though. We also have a good mix of backrowers to change the play if we need to.

1) Looking at the ELVs, how do we think they might change our play or how can we turn them to our advantage?

Assistant Referees

Assistant Referees can assist referees in any manner required when appointed by a match organiser

Well, this won't have any direct bearing on our team's playing style, but it may encoure the touch judges (this isn't football) to give in the the East/West stands's cries of "Do something!"

Posts and flags around the field

The corner posts are no longer considered to be in touch in-goal except when a ball is grounded against the post

In attack, this is obviously going to open up play, especially on blind side attacks close in to the try line. Previously, a defender could throw you into the flag as an extra line of defence and so now this will aid our players to get that extra inch; in the case of our wingers, none of whom are Battering Rams, this may well aid their ability to get in at the corner without being bundled into touch so easily. Conversely, in defence it will add to problems and the players around the fringes of rucks/scrums etc will need to be extra alert for the dives off the base. However, our defence has been pretty hardcore and with Robshaw lining up on the blind side, it would be a brave player who thinks he can waltz over without a gentle tap on the shoulder.

Lineout and throw

If a team puts the ball back into their own 22 and the ball is subsequently kicked directly into touch there is no gain of ground

Obviously this will affect our wingers and full backs the most since it's likely they'll be the ones fielding kicks in the deep. Mike Brown may well be able to exploit this. The S14 has had a lot of up and under kicking as teams can't boot it to touch anymore. Brown is the king of up and unders and has a massive boot on him, so he would be able to get a good tactical advantage in either territory ("Come at us from your own 22, then") or gathering his own Garryowens. In Strettle and Monye we also have two players (Strettle especially) who revel in the counterattacking run and with the onus now on players to make something of the ball, their skills will come into play. But against that we must be concerned that the set piece/breakdown on just in front of the 22 and the ball spun back to be kicked to safety is now no longer with us. Given that it seem sour fly halves sometimes have problems finding touch anyway and we have good chasers, this may be less of a problem than imagined.

• A quick throw may be thrown in straight or towards the throwing team’s own goal line
  This doesn't really make much difference, I don't think.
• There is no restriction on the number of players who can participate in the lineout from either side (minimum of two)
  Nor does this; the S14 has still seen teams matching each other player for player and attacking the lineout ball inb traditional fashion.
• The receiver in a lineout must stand 2 metres back from the lineout
  This will make a difference; no more flankers stepping into the line to recieve and the scrum half rushing up. However, it will give an advantage to the scrum half as the extra couple of metres can give him a chance to wind the pass up without being scragged by opposition players coming quickly through.
• The player who is in opposition to the player throwing in the ball may stand in the area between the 5 metre line and touch line but must be 2 metres away from the lineout
  I can't see a huge difference in this. How many times do thosae short balls to no one in the line work anyway. It's usually a prop dropping it, not straight, the pass back to the hooker is foward or bunged straight into touch or they just get jumped on immediately.
• Lineout players may pre-grip a jumper before the ball is thrown in
• The lifting of lineout jumpers is permitted
  Like it's not already!

Maul

• Players are able to defend a maul by pulling it down
• Remove reference in Law to heads and shoulders not to be lower than hips
  Both of these are damn stupid rules. However, Quins don't actually maul that much; the team is set up more for fast rucking and quick ball. I love the maul (I've been a willing participant in many) and would hate to see it disppear - that try we scored from the halfway line a few years back was a thing of beauty, but with the personnel we have a tight, mauling game doesn't suit us.

Scrum

• Introduction of an offside line five metres behind the hindmost feet of the scrum
• Scrum half offside lines (must be in close proximity to the scrum as present Law or must retreat five metres)
  I think these rules will suit us. Our no 8s in Easter and Guest both represent different problems when given extra space. Easter can get up a good rumbling head of steam and Guest's pace and good footwork causes different issues. Both these rules have shown that teams with good decision makers at 10 and/or 12 can exploit this to their advantage. If we get Evans, not only will we have the advantage of someone who's played a season of this, we'l l get a good gamebreaker.

2) ELVs TO BE TRIALLED IN AN ELITE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE COMPETITION:

SANCTIONS

• For all offences other than offside, not entering through the gate, and Law 10 - Foul Play, the sanction is a free-kick
  I think this might well work against us. One of the things that makes us dangerous when penalties are given in our favour is Care's ability to tap and go. Defences worry about whether he will or not and thus can get out of shape. Whilst he can exploit the free kicks, the inability to select either a kick for lineout ball or a scrum means they know what's coming and can adjust accordingly. It also seems a cheat's charter, especially in the 22. However, with a player ,like Skinner in the backrow, maybe that's a good thing. His wandering hands are now less likely to cost a pot at goal.

TACKLE AND RUCK

• If the ball is unplayable at the breakdown, the side that did not take the ball into contact will receive a free-kick
  Again, a cheat's charter. With our defence we really can make this work for us, but I cannot for the life of me see how this is a good rule to encourage teams not to infringe to slow up attacks and stop things dead.

MAUL

• If a maul becomes unplayable, the team not in possession at the start of the maul receives a free-kick
  This is changing it from a scrum - again, see above about my worries on this.

I've also listed the other ELVs below. Luckily, it appears that the more insane of them have been referred back, hopefully never to see the light of day again.

3) ELVs ALREADY IN OPERATION:

Those SANZAR Unions that are currently experimenting with ELV trials in the Southern Hemisphere - in competitions such as Super 14 and Vodacom Cup - will be allowed to continue those trials including the sanctions ELVs until the end of the global trial of the approved ELVs (August 1, 2009).

4) ELVs TO BE REFERRED BACK TO THE LAWS PROJECT GROUP FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS AND POSSIBLE EXPERIMENTATION:

LINE-OUT AND THROW

• Incorrect throw (not straight) the sanction is a free-kick

TACKLE AND RUCK

• Offside line occurs immediately at the tackle
• Players who are on their feet can play the ball with their hands
• There are two Penalty Kicks warded at the tackle and ruck - offside and foul play
• Reference to unfair play added to Law 15 (tackle: ball carrier brought to ground)

OFFSIDE

• Players are only put onside after a tackle when they retreat past the tackle or the ball has moved five metres away from the tackle

KICK-OFF AND RESTART KICKS

• Incorrect kick-offs and restart kicks result in a free-kick for the opposition

To sum up, yes, it's rugby Jim, but not as we know it, but I don't think there's any reason why we can't successfully adapt and make them work to our advantage.

NB: This article began life as a message on the board