World Rugby Law Amendments Take Effect
By Grant FeeleyA number of minor law amendments, approved and announced in September 2015, come into effect today (1 June) in the northern hemisphere having already been implemented in the southern hemisphere since the start of the year and will apply to the upcoming June internationals.
The implementation of the package of law amendments by World Rugby Council follows detailed analysis and evaluation of union submissions by the specialist Law Review Group (LRG) which reports to the Rugby Committee. This evaluation process also featured specialist input from the Scrum Steering Group (SSG) and the Multi-Disciplinary Injury Prevention Group (MDIPG) over the past year and is the next phase of the law change process.
In addition, an important maul law application guideline, that has been in place in the southern hemisphere since 1 January, will be enforced in the north from 1 June. Specifically, the ball can be moved backwards hand-to-hand once the maul has formed. A player is not allowed to move or slide to the back of the maul when he is in possession of the ball and the ripper needs to stay in contact with the jumper until they have transferred the ball. Sanction: Penalty.