The International Rugby Board's Rugby Committee has ratified recommendations made at the Experimental Law Variations (ELV) Conference on which ELVs should be recommended to the IRB Council for adoption into Law.

ELVs accepted are the five-metre scrum offside line, the quick throw-in, lifting of lineout jumpers, assistant referees and kicking directly into touch from the 22.  The committee also recommended that unions have the right to extend the half-time break to a maximum of 15 minutes. There is also the possibility of the introduction of rolling substitutions.

Some of the recommendations make what is de fact de iure.

Those not recommended include pulling down the maul and the obligation to conform to the numbers of the throwing team at lineouts. The nature of sanctions - penalties or free kicks - are to be part of ongoing experiment.

The next step is a decision by the IRB's General Council  at its meeting of 13 May.

The Rugby Committee evaluation is the latest step in the global ELV consultation and evaluation process which began with the Conference of the Game in 2004. On 13 May the IRB Council will decide which ELVs, if any, should be fully integrated into Law.

Recommendations for the IRB Council

The following is recommended to the IRB Council for adoption into Law:

Law 6: Assistant referee able to assist referee in any way the Referee requires
Law 19: If a team puts the ball back in their own 22 and the ball is subsequently kicked directly into touch there is no gain in ground
Law 19: A quick throw may be thrown in straight or towards the throwing team’s goal-line
Law 19: The receiver at the lineout must be two metres back away from the lineout
Law 19: The player who is in opposition to the player throwing in the ball must stand in the area between the five metre line and touch line and must be two metres from the line of touch and at least two metres from the lineout
Law 19: Lineout players may pre-grip a jumper before the ball is thrown in
Law 19: The lifting of lineout jumpers is permitted
Law 20: Introduction of an offside line five metres behind the hindmost feet of the scrum
Law 20: Scrumhalf offside line at the scrum
Law 20: The corner posts are no longer considered to be touch in goal except when the ball is grounded against the post

Union-specific ELVs Recommended to Council:

Unions may implement rolling substitutions at defined levels of the Game

A Union having a jurisdiction over a Game may implement a half-time interval of not more than 15 minutes

A Union may implement the Under-19 scrum Law Variation at a defined level of the Game under its jurisdiction

The following is not recommended to the IRB Council for adoption into Law:

Law 17:  Maul - Head and Shoulders not to be lower than hips
Law 17:  Maul - Pulling Down the Maul
Law 19: Freedom for each team to determine Lineout Numbers

The Sanctions and Tackle/Ruck ELVs will not be recommended to the IRB Council for adoption into Law. However, the Rugby Committee has deferred these areas for further consultation.