From reading the contributions to The Roar, you would think all Northern Hemisphere rugby supporters are against the ELVs. But is this really the case? Does anyone in the UK actually support the ELVs?
With this question in mind I did a brief search of a few UK websites, and came away with some interesting, if superficial results.
The Western Mail in Wales ran a report on the opening Tri Nations match which stated: “The tinkering didn’t have the negative impact many feared and contributed to a faster spectacle, with free-kicks replacing penalties for a number of offences, defending backs having to retreat five metres at scrums, and kicking directly into touch being banned following passes back into the 22.
Blatant killing of the ball at the breakdown can be treated as foul play and result in a penalty so the ELVs aren’t the ‘cheats charter’ some were predicting. One of the most interesting changes was allowing a player to throw the ball backwards while taking a quick line-out.
It means opponents have to commit at least two players to the chase when the ball is going out of play.”
In the same publication, there was an excellent article by Simon Roberts – Rugby’s new laws highlight north and south divide.
According to Roberts, the genesis of the ELVs was post the 2003 World Cup, and were therefore not spawned by John O’Neill.
Simon Roberts writes: “A conference held in Auckland, after the 2003 World Cup, decreed rugby’s laws had to be looked at, tidied up and simplified to make the game more attractive to a wider audience.”
Roberts also makes the point that in the professional era rugby must be entertaining if it is to be profitable and grow its supporter base. This is something that the Southern Hemisphere understands well, whereas the North continues to argue that ‘winning is everything.’
Another reason for the ELVs, according to Roberts, has been the negative, conservative tactics employed by teams such as the Wallabies, South Africa, Argentina and England at successive World Cups.
Rather than providing variety in playing styles, under the current laws a very limited style of rugby has taken over.
Roberts writes: “In fact, the trend for success is now so obvious and conservative that the four countries – England, South Africa, France and Argentina – could have swapped jerseys and you wouldn’t have noticed the difference.
All four delivered a perfect rugby prototype – giant pack, big defence and a big kicker – and were startlingly similar in approach and style.”
In answer to the view that rugby in the North is ‘going very well thank you, we don’t need the ELVs over here’, Roberts makes the following observations: “for the rugby purists here, the game is developing quite nicely. The argument in the North is that winning is everything and it doesn’t matter how you achieve it. Entertainment always comes a distant second.
The South knows that winning isn’t everything and selling the game to a wider audience will be rugby’s real success.
The biggest irony of all, though, is that for all the Northern Hemisphere’s obsession with winning, only England have won the World Cup.
The five other winners have all come from the Southern Hemisphere.
Some things never change.”
So is Simon Roberts a distant voice, all alone in the North? I think not.
In response to his article there were three comments, all strongly in favour of the ELVs. I’ll get to them shortly.
But firstly let’s hear from Scrum V reporter Rick O’Shea who writes, “Although it is far too early to draw any lasting conclusions, the first international match to played under the ELVs was a triumph that must have left many wondering what all the fuss was about. I’ll put up my hand and admit that I had feared for the integrity of the game at the highest level, persuaded by the logic of the argument that it could easily degenerate into a fuzzy form of rugby league with line-outs.”
So what about the experts, the rugby coaches, do any in the North actually support the ELVs.
Frank Hadden, the coach of Scotland, where the ELVs have been trialled for some time, seems happy with what he has seen.
“It’s important they are tested comprehensively and at all levels before they are adopted. All have some merit in the sense that they are attempting to address concerns. I’ve seen them in operation in Scottish club matches and was broadly happy with what I saw.”
Have I been selective in my quotes? You bet!
But at least we can see that, even in the Northern Hemisphere, the debate surrounding the ELVs is alive and well, and definitely not a foregone conclusion.
Love this article? Nominate it for The Roar’s Armchair Sports Writer Award. Or vote now for this week’s nominated articles.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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