'Don't anticipate any law changes': Premiership, RFU and WRU set to ignore World Rugby's 10 Covid laws
World Rugby’s ten optional law trials won’t be implemented in England or Wales to help the sport return to playing in the Covid-19 era. Super Rugby in New Zealand will restart on June 13 with the same laws it had when it was suspended in March. And the Gallagher Premiership have now suggested it will do likewise if it does get the go-ahead to restart its stalled 2019/20 campaign.
The general feeling is that it would be unwieldy to restart the tournament with an altered set of laws different from what had been in use in the first part of the campaign, particularly the tweaks regarding the scrum and maul.
A Premiership Rugby spokesperson said in the Telegraph: “We are undertaking a review of all aspects of the game to ensure the safe return of Gallagher Premiership Rugby, but don’t anticipate any law changes.”
Premiership Rugby suffered a setback last week in its efforts to have its clubs return to training, but with lockdown measures in England set to move into a new phase of lifting restrictions, there is hope that a full set of guidelines will be established by the time the clubs next meet late next week.
World Rugby’s law review group apparently conducted an analysis of 60 matches before deciding on its ten optional law change recommendations aimed at reducing Covid-19 transmission risk.
However, amid criticism that they alter the spirit and the look of rugby as it has been known, they have so far not been warmly received.
Aside from the Premiership stating that their tournament will not adopt any of the proposed law changes, the RFU and the WRU have also hinted they too would be giving the recommendations a wide berth as they formulate plans for the safe return of grassroots rugby for the 2020/21 season.
“The RFU has its own review underway looking at the options for a return to training and return to play rugby for clubs in England,” said an RFU spokesperson. “When government advice on social distancing measures are eased, specific RFU guidance will be announced and provided to clubs.”
The WRU agreed, their chairman Gareth Davies stating in a BBC interview: “I’m not a fan. I think it eats away at the integrity of the game. “There are a couple of positives there. Looking at the scrum, it would be great if we could put something in place long-term… (but) at the moment, our union has no firm plans to implement them.”
“We’re at a pivotal point… football can be played with the highest level of beauty at an unbelievable standard, but you can also play it at 60 having a kick around. You can't do that with rugby"
– Keith Wood talks to @chrisjonespress ???https://t.co/Eb0S9pG4Gb
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 27, 2020
World Rugby had always intended that these laws changes were optional and were up to individual unions to adopt or ignore. “It’s not going to be forced upon people,” said chief medical officer Martin Raftery in a midweek interview.
“It’s just going to say, ‘Here’s the research we found. If you think you want to trial it, by all means you can trial it’. That doesn’t mean a country who has a low risk can’t adopt it and trial it as well. That’s up to the actual competitions to make that decision.”
WORLD RUGBY’S 10 OPTIONAL LAW CHANGES
SCRUM
1. Remove reset scrum when no infringement occurs;
2. Hookers must use a ‘break foot’ to aid scrum stability;
3. No scrum option for a penalty or free-kick;
4. Goal-line drop-out when an attacker is held up in-goal or knock on in-goal.
TACKLE
5. Reinforce high tackle sanction framework – the introduction of an orange card for red card high tackle offence;
6. Remove choke tackle and reward defensive team.
RUCK
7. Ruck ‘use it’ duration time reduced from five to three seconds;
8. No scrum for failure to ‘use it’ at scrum, ruck or maul.
MAUL
9. No one can join a maul if not in it from the start;
10. Only one forward movement at a maul.
Comments on RugbyPass
This game was always going to be close, Canada have such a dominant pack and the Black Ferns have come unstuck in that area against teams like France and England in the past.
2 Go to commentsA distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
2 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
8 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
8 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments