News

Dempsey urges ELV sanctions trial

August 12 2008

Australian Players' Association (RUPA) chief Tony Dempsey has joined the chorus calling for some league in the north to trial the sanctions Experimental Law Variation (ELV) - the one that has all offences apart from serious foul play and offside resulting in a free-kick rather than a penalty.

A global trial of 13 ELVs has begun as of August 1 - the first professional competitive match under the new laws in the trial will be the Top 14 opener between Montpellier and Toulouse on August 26.

However, the sanctions ELV, which proved to be something of a success in this year's Super 14 and Tri-Nations, is not a part of this global trial, although there was a promise from the northern unions to try and find a second-tier competition in which to use it.

This was mooted to be the European Challange Cup or the EDF Energy Cup, but the clubs involved have registered stiff opposition, citing the need to play consistently under one set of rules throughout their season.

The general feeling to the sanctions ELV in the north is that it removes some of the shape and variety from the game, making it more like rugby league and negating, at lower levels, the possibility of rugby being a game for all shapes and sizes because of the lack of tactical variety and options at free-kicks.

Dempsey sees a feeling of suspicion and insecurity over the north's reluctance to join in, and is angry that the north will not even trial the laws.

"There has been a strong undercurrrent of negative media about the sanctions law, which has probably influenced people's thinking up there," Dempsey told the Daily Telegraph.

"The difficulty we have got is that there is so much suspicion and insecurity, they are not prepared to give it a trial.

"The argument put forward is that it will change the ethos of the game that it caters for all shapes and sizes.

"The other concern they have is that the game is not broken and going very well, so (they are asking) 'why fix it?'

"Statistics from the Super 14 in 2007 and 2008 show there are still the same number of scrums, line-outs are marginally less and the ball is in play marginally longer.

"So the core fundamentals haven't changed and there will still always be that need for all shapes and sizes.

"And while it remains the case that football is still the number one sport up there [the northern hemisphere], there is room for improvement."

But Dempsey did admit that the problem had mostly been about finding a suitable competition to trial the sanctions ELV in. They maybe introduced at semi-professional level.

He believes that once the northern hemisphere has the opportunity to see the other new laws first-hand, they will embrace them and changes will be adopted.