8/08/2007 1:43:45 PM


Sportal

http://sportal.com.au/default.aspx/r...-changes-32873


Former Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen said he is excited by the prospect of the upcoming Australian Rugby Championship being used to test several new experimental laws.
The World Cup winning coach, who is also a member of the International Rugby Board and one of the architects of the new laws, has said that a high profile competition like the ARC was the perfect opportunity to properly gauge the effectiveness of several law variations.
"This is the highest level at which the experimental laws have been tried to date," said Macqueen.
"Previously a number of the IRB ELV's were on show in club rugby in Brisbane and Sydney and prior to that in the UK, all to very positive reviews."
In an attempt to improve the game as a spectacle, the rule variations include allowing players to use hands in the ruck, moving corner posts out of play so they are not a hindrance, allowing the deliberate collapsing of mauls and introducing fewer full penalty offences.

In order to monitor the effectiveness of the experimental laws, a number of IRB officials will be in Australia for the opening round of the ARC this weekend.
Some of the IRB's representatives include Bill Nolan, the chairman of the ELV committee, as well as England's Eddie Morrison and New Zealand's Graham Mourie and Paddy O'Brien.
Macqueen believes their presence is indicative of how seriously the new rules are being considered.
"The fact that so many IRB officials will be here to see them at work in the Sydney and Canberra opening Mazda ARC fixtures is testament to the importance being placed on bringing a fresh approach to Rugby,"