Experimental rugby laws that the IRB have tried out in various competitions in the southern hemisphere. They’ll be part of Super 14 next season so it seems they’ll be adopted at some stage the world over.
Explained by Paddy O’Brien in two videos below. But in summary they are:
- Corner flag is removed from being on the actual touchline.
- If you pass the ball back into the 22 then a player can’t kick to touch on the 22. i.e. Stringer has ball from scrum 5 yards outside 22. If he passes back to O’Gara then O’Gara must bounce the ball into touch.
- Lienouts - you can have as many or as few players as you want. No more “numbers”
- Crooked lineouts - now a free kick, not a scrum or rethrow
- Offside at a tackle, don’t have to wait for a ruck to form. (Rule was that before the ruck was formed the first guy over to the tackle could just run around and pick it up. Most refs always penalised this anyway).
- If you enter from the correct side and behind the last foot you can play the ball with your hands. No such thing as “hands off Ireland” etc.
- Penalties have been almost completely taken out of the game. Only penalties are:
- offside
- foul play (includes repeat and deliberate infringements)
- entering from the side of the tackle/ruck
Everything else is a free kick (scrum can be chosen)
- Allowed to collapse the maul now.
- Truck and trailer now allowed from the maul.
- Turnover from a maul is a free kick, not a scrum
- Backlines have to be back 5 metres from the back of the scrum