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Deans: ELVs have minimal effect

September 25 2008

It's caused debate right through the rugby world, but in the country which most people blame for the controversy, the national rugby coach gives the impression he couldn't care less about the ELVs.

Australia have repeatedly been accused of pushing through the ELVs as forcefully and quickly as possible, ostensibly to help raise the game's profile in competition with Australian rules football and rugby league.

13 of the original 32 ELVs have been virtually universally rejected in the north, with the sanctions one in particular - that one that makes all transgressions bar offside and foul play a free-kick - causing the most ire.

The detractors say the sanctions ELV makes the game lose its shape, but the Australians - and the Kiwis - say it speeds the game up.

Robbie Deans did an excellent job of sitting on the fence on Thursday, saying that sanctions ELV or not, or even full ELVs or not, the game is still going to be pretty much the same.

"The bulk of the law variations have been adopted and accepted for good reason, because they are essentially no-brainers," said Deans to the AAP.

"Those of us who have experienced them don't deem them to be controversial.

"It's been a good experience, or experiment, whichever way you want to look at it. It doesn't concern us, to be honest. All we want to know as players and coaches is what the parameters are and we'll get on with it."

Deans has six fixtures forthcoming: the Bledisloe Cup contest with New Zealand in Hong Kong followed by matches in Europe against Italy, England, France, Wales and the Barbarians, and all will be played under the global ELVs - which involve full penalties. Will he miss the free-kicks?

"From a player's perspective, the game doesn't change; the same decisions are being made by the referee, it's just the potential consequence that's different," said Deans.

"It doesn't change the way we train or prepare to play. It might provide a little bit of tactical difference, but not a lot.

"I think you've seen that, particularly anyone who observed the beginning of Super 14 this year and then witnessed it at the end. If you didn't know there were law variations applied, you wouldn't have known - it was very much the same game.

"I think there's been some great rugby played - you can put it down to whatever you like.

"The people who will consider these things and make the decisions on behalf of the game - and that's what they're appointed to do, to act in the best interests of the game - will give it due consideration and will come up with a decision and we'll all move on."