O'Neill's got the wrong end of the stick
Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:05
Overzealous and talkative Australian Rugby Union (ARU) boss John O'Neill 'warned' of a possible north-south split over the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) this week, but his now infamous public outburst has been described as a "storm in a teacup".
In his customary over-the-top manner O'Neill, who is also an International Rugby Board (IRB) delegate, warned of the dangers of the game becoming an embarrassment, with two games and two different sets of laws - because (according to O'Neill) England, Ireland and Wales made a dramatic about-turn and refused to implement sanctions involving the ELVs.
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"Contrary to their undertaking in May when they said they would find competitions to trial the sanctions, the three nations have now recanted and there will be no trialling of the sanctions in any competitions in those countries," O'Neill told his mouthpiece, the Sydney Morning Herald.
However, it has been revealed that the Aussie boss has got the wrong end of the stick.
The ELVs will be applied - uniformly and worldwide - from August 1.
André Watson, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) Manager of Referees, dismissed O'Neill's outburst as nothing more than a storm in a teacup.
"The International Rugby Board [IRB] decided that the experimental laws would be applied worldwide for a year from August 1," Watson told the Afrikaans daily Beeld.
"England, Wales and Ireland were party to the decision. They are not opposed to the experimental laws.
"The people in the northern hemisphere have not had an opportunity to try out the experimental laws, so the IRB has given them time to apply some of the original experimental laws," Watson explained.
"They merely said they did not want to try out two sets of experimental laws. They will apply the laws as in all other countries from August 1."
The English clubs and Welsh regions - who are the ELV rebels, according to O'Neill - also revealed that they will trial the ELVs, but the same set as the rest of the world.
There was a suggestion that they trial some more of the ELVs in next season's EDF Energy Cup.
The three new laws: free-kicks rather than penalties for all offences bar offside and serious foul play and some changes to the ruck and maul laws ensuring unplayable ball would result in a free-kick to the opposition, had been earmarked for trial in the EDF Energy Cup at the IRB meeting in May, but the unions have told the IRB that the English clubs and Welsh franchises will trial the ELVs that will be universally applied from August 1 and not a separate set.
"The reason we wanted the three variations trialled in just one professional competition was the fears we had of their impact on the community game," said the chairman of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) management board, Martyn Thomas to The Guardian.
"The unions were happy to give them a go in the EDF, but the clubs and the regions, quite understandably, had serious reservations.
"It would have meant them playing one set of rules one week and another the next and, given the fragmented nature of the EDF, there was doubt whether the trial would have been of any value.
"We cannot go against the wishes of those taking part in the EDF. My concern after attending last week's IRB meeting in Hong Kong is that the southern hemisphere nations are looking for law changes to solve problems that are economic in origin and it does not seem the right way to go about it."
The IRB is organising a conference on the ELVs next March to discuss whether any or all of them should be made law for the 2009-10 European season.
WRU chairman David Pickering rubbished the notion that Wales was wavering over the current ELV proposal for next season, but said that the WRU had opted against a full ELV trial such as in the Australian Rugby Championship last year.
"In Wales all 13 new ELVs approved by the IRB will be part of every game so that we can all clearly see how the new rules modernise and improve the spectacle of rugby for supporters and the enjoyment of all the players who take part," Pickering said.
"The original 24 suggested new laws have been pared down to the 13 and there has been widespread agreement not to adopt the experimental sanctions which replaced penalties with free-kicks for some infringements.
"Here in Wales we agreed with the sentiment that the sanctions were a step too far.
"The ELVs represent a change in how the game is played so it is vitally important that we adopt a measured and reasoned view on how to effectively implement them.
"Certain ELVs have been considered but not approved by the WRU and other nations. We stand by the democratic process on law change which allows for measured governance of our game."
