Super-14 starts with ELVs

Today saw the start of the Super-14 season and the ELVs. We actually saw most of them come into play as well, although the game wasn't great.

It's hard to be sure on the highly scientific basis of one poor game (possibly early season cobwebs, possibly getting used to the new rules in serious competition, possibly just two teams that aren't going to shine this year despite the pundits expectations, possibly a combination of two or three of these), but a few things did show up.

Penalties were uncommon - there were only about 5 in the whole match, and only 2 penalty goals kicked. Quite a lot of things that would have been penalties were free kicks. Goodbye 10-man rugby and the number-10 who is solely a goal-kicking machine.

Line-outs were also uncommon. There were times where I wondered why they didn't kick the ball into touch - they would have before the ELVs and the circumstances with them would have been the same: I think this will change over time. But, line-outs will remain, I suspect more uncommon, as one set of ways to gain ground via the boot have gone. Another kick for 10-man rugby.

Scrums look very odd with the 5m offside lines, there's a load of space. Even in this rather disappointing game that was exploited a bit. A good scrum will, I suspect make the snipers (Marshall, Peel, Howley, Gommersal) and the pick up and run No. 8's have more of an impact because they will have more space in which to run. I wouldn't be hugely surprised to see a situation where loose forwards become more and more multi-skilled, the kind of thing where at attacking scrum-1 No. 8 plays at 8, scrum-2 No. 6 plays at 8, scrum-3 No. 7 plays at 8, rinse and repeat. In defence they probably fall back to their "natural" positions. How will this affect the MacCaw, Waugh, Burger etc. specialist fetchers? We'll have to see. I think they will have a huge role to play still, and if they can't skill up to be a power ball-carrier (it's not something MacCaw is good at for example) will swapping the other two places work well? Will some other tactic evolve? This will be interesting on the international stage. Consider Wales v England (historically, not just that glorious day a fortnight ago) England tend to the bigger, stronger scrum, Wales tend to the faster, pick-up and snipe scrum halves and No. 8's. I think, but I'm not quite sure this will have changed the nature of the scrum a little, clean scrum ball to pick up and run with will be more important, but having the mobility to exploit it will be too. I know Corry and Dalaglio have gone, but I think this might have been their death knell anyway. There are, probably, more scrums. Free kicks given (that used to be penalties) in areas where they're not a good bet for a drop goal (didn't see this option taken at all in fact) were converted into scrums - at a rough count, about 8 of them in this match. They didn't get exploited for tries in this match, but you can see they will be.

All tackles making an offside line caused one of the few penalties. I think it makes the tackle laws clearer, but we need a bit more time to see how it goes.

I'm not sure I'll be watching the games starting at 6:30am tomorrow live, but I will be recording them.

First impressions? Well, scrums are more common, and a stable scrum is probably more important. Line-outs and penalties are less common. Does this make them more critical to get right, or will it de-emphasise them? Time will tell, but my feeling is that a 90% goal-kicker will become less important (scoring tries will be the main way to score, so a fly-half who can make the scores will become more important. If he can also kick well, bonus). I think line-outs will become harder to get right (hookers will be more tired because of more scrums and more running around without a breather) but more critical to get right because they will remain a way to get the ball, and on occasion steal the ball. Possession will become more critical.

The only ELV I think will be routinely significant that we didn't see was defending sides at rucks and mauls getting the ball at the scrum. When we see a MacCaw, a Smith, a Waugh, a Burger doing their thing and slowing the recycling down enough, just how critical will that be?

The other laws, if you're not aware, hitting the corner flag isn't out. Touch judges are now assistant referees (face it at international level they're all international referees anyway) and can advise the main referee about anything they see. To be honest, I don't see that being much of a change. They have done this, tacitly, for a while, but now it's official.