Blacksburg Rugby

Along with the rest of the rugby union world, Blacksburg Rugby is bracing itself for the most substantial changes in rugby union laws in years, set to occur beginning 1 August. According to an announcement by the International Rugby Board, a series of experimental law variations (ELVs) will be given a global probationary trial for a one-year period. Various combinations of ELVs have been explored in a number of competitions over the past few years, most notably in the 2008 Super 14 competition, but this is the first time that any of the ELVs will be put into action in Blacksburg, or at any domestic competition level in the United States for that matter.

Blacksburg players and supporters are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the ELVs to be used in the coming season. Briefly, they are:

• The backline defense in a scrum must stay 5 meters from the back foot of the scrum until it ends (except for the defending halfback if staying near the scrum).
• The corner flags/posts are no longer in touch, except when a ball is grounded against them.
• A team that passes the football back inside of their own 22-meter area and kicks out on the full will no longer gain ground.
• A quick throw at a lineout can be straight or at an angle toward the thrower's own try line.
• Any number of players from either side may participate in the lineout (2 minimum).
• The receiver in a lineout must stand 2 meters from the lineout.
• The player opposing the lineout thrower may stand in the area between the touch line and 5-meter line, but must stand 2 meters from the lineout.
• Pre-gripping and lifting in lineouts is permitted.
• Players can pull a maul to the ground, and law wording pertaining to mauling players' heads and shoulders needing to be above their hips is removed.
• Touch judges are renamed assistant referees and have an expanded role in refereeing (when appointed by a match organizer--may not be relevant to volunter touch judges provided by competing sides for fixtures).

It should be noted that a number of the ELVs that have been used in other competitions will NOT be employed in the global trial, including several ELVs changing a number of penalty sanctions to free kicks, changing the sanction for a number of lineout and kickoff offenses to free kicks, changing how and when the offside line forms at tackles, and changing the way players are allowed to compete for the football at breakdowns. Some of these ELVs will be further explored in selected competitions, and may be implemented in the future.

Although rugby union's laws and regulations frequently undergo small changes, the pending changes are perhaps the most substantial alterations to the game since the early 1990s, when the value of a try was changed from four points to five (1992), supporting players in lineouts was permitted (1992), lineout throws were given to non-offending teams (1992), tactical substitutions were introduced (1993), and professional play was allowed (1995; this change rendered obsolete the original reason for the original schism between rugby union and rugby league regarding player payments).

For more details on the ELVs and their application, see the official guide published by the IRB. As more resources pertaining to the globally implemented ELVs become available, they will be posted to the site. In the meantime, get ready for exciting changes!