2009 NZ Community (school and club) Rugby
IRB Experiental Law Variations (ELVs) Summary and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Laws of the Game, unless specifically amended by the ELVs, remain unaltered.
The ELVs also apply to the Sevens, Under 19 Variations and NZRU DSLV’s (excluding ELVs 2 & 3)
Law Description
Maul
Lineout and Throw
Scrum
Corner Posts
Law Description
1. To assist in decision making, Assistant Referees are able to assist the referee in any way that the referee requires.
Maul
2. It is no longer a penalisable offence if players join the maul with heads and shoulders below the hips.
3. A maul can now be pulled down. This must be done by grasping an opponent between the shoulder and hips and bringing the maul to the ground.
Note: The NZRU has, in line with IRB regulations, determined that ELVs 2 & 3 (relating to the Maul) will not be applied in any grades of rugby, Under 19 level or below during 2009.
Lineout and Throw
4. If a team passes or takes the ball back into their own 22 and the ball is subsequently kicked out on the full, the lineout is where the ball was kicked from, unless a tackle has been made or a ruck or maul has formed within the 22 metre area.
5. A quick throw may be thrown in straight or back towards the throwing team’s own goal line.
6. There is no maximum number of players in the lineout – teams do not have to match numbers.
7. The receiver (halfback) must stand 2 metres back from the Lineout.
8. The player who is in opposition to the player throwing in the ball, must stand in the area between the 5 metre line and touch line and must be 2 metres away from the Lineout.
9. Lineout players may pre-grip a jumper before the ball is thrown in. (Under 13 DSLV Law still applies)
10. The lifting of Lineout jumpers is permitted. (Under 13 DSLV Law still applies)
FAQs
Q: Must the non-throwing team have an immediate opponent to the thrower i.e. have a player standing between the touch line and the 5 metre line?
A: Yes
Q: Must the immediate opponent of the thrower stand at a mark 2 metres away from the lineout?
A: No, he must stand more than 2 metres from the five metre line and two metres from the line of touch but can stand anywhere from 2 metres to 9.9 metres away from the lineout, provided he is standing between the touch line and more than two metres from the five metre line.
Q: Must a team have a receiver (halfback) at the lineout?
A: No
Q:�With there now being no requirement for an equal number of participants from each team, can players who have joined the lineout now leave and retire to the 10 metre offside line, at any stage prior to the ball being thrown in?
A:�No. Players, once having joined the lineout, must stay in the lineout. The change in numbers policy does not preclude the implementation of current Law. The only reason players of the non-throwing team were previously allowed to leave the lineout, was to conform to numbers.
Q: From a kick by the attacking team the ball bounces into touch 10 metres outside the defenders 22, the ball then continues to bounce along the touchline until it stops 2 metres inside the 22. Can a defender take a quick throw-in inside the 22 and then kick directly into touch and achieve a gain in ground?
A: Yes. In this situation the attacking team have put the ball inside the 22 and a gain in ground by the defenders is permitted.
Q: A defending team win the ball at a lineout just outside the 22m. A maul forms and the defending team in possession of the ball are driven back inside the 22m area. They clear the ball to their halfback who kicks directly into touch. Is there a gain in ground in such a situation?
A: No. A new maul has not been formed inside the 22, thus the defenders are deemed to have put the ball back inside their 22 and no gain in ground is permitted.
Q: The attacking team win the ball at a lineout just outside the defenders 22m. A maul forms and the defenders gain possession of the ball in the maul as it moves back inside their 22m area. They clear the ball to their halfback who kicks directly into touch. Is there a gain in ground in such a situation?
A: The referee determines which team has possession of the ball in the maul when it crosses the 22. If the attackers, a gain in ground is permitted, if the defenders, no gain in ground is permitted (Refer ELV Law 19.1 (e)).
Q: Blue team passes ball back into 22 and a blue player attempts to clear the ball but it is charged down by an opponent. Another Blue team member gathers the ball and kicks out on the full. Is a gain in ground permitted?
A: Yes. The ball has been touched by an opposition player (refer Law 19.1(d))
Scrum
11. The offside line for backs (except the halfback) is now five metres behind the hindmost foot/player of each team in the scrum.
12. The halfback may follow the ball or move to the offside line at the hindmost foot. The halfback of the team who has not won the ball may move away from the scrum but must not overstep that offside line. (DSLV Laws still apply)/
FAQs
Q: If the immediate opponent of the player throwing the ball into the scrum (halfback), first takes up a position behind the hindmost feet at the back of the scrum, can he later move forward to follow the ball around the scrum?
A: No. Taking up this position prior to the ball being thrown-in is not an option. The immediate opponent of the player throwing the ball into the scrum (halfback) must take up a position either at the same side of the scrum as the halfback throwing in the ball or at the off-side line for other players, which is five metres behind the hindmost player.
Q: If the immediate opponent of the player throwing the ball into the scrum (halfback), first takes up a position behind the hindmost feet at the back of the scrum, can he move anywhere along this offside line?
A: No. See answer to question immediately above. The option to move anywhere along the hindmost foot offside line exists only if he has first taken up a position at the tunnel until the ball is thrown into the scrum, and then retires to the hindmost foot.
Corner Posts
13. The corner posts are no longer considered to be in touch in-goal except when the ball is grounded against the post. If the ball hits the corner post and bounces back into the playing area, play continues. A try will still be disallowed if the ball is grounded against the corner post. A try will no longer be disallowed if the ball carrier or the ball touches the corner post before grounding the ball as long as that player or the ball has not otherwise been in touch.
FAQs
Q: Does the ELV relating to the corner post also relate to the post at the junction of the touch-in-goal line and dead ball line.
A: Yes. The ELV refers to the corner posts and applies to the corner posts on the goal line and dead ball line.