LONDON – World Rugby has announced that it will trial a series of new laws in the 2015-2016 season that include increasing the value of tries and decreasing the value of kicks.
The trial coincides with the ‘health check’ that World Rugby undertakes on the game every four years. And with the World Cup due to kick off next Friday, the changes have been eagerly observed. While they obviously won’t be trialled during the World Cup, it will be interesting to see them played at the professional level.
From revising the amount of specialist front rowers to the way the halfback feeds the scrum, World Rugby have run the thumb over the laws and produced these notable variations;
- A try to be changed to 6 points with a penalty changed to 2 points instead of 3
- If the clock has run past 40 or 80 minutes and a penalty is called, the team can opt to kick for touch and play the lineout
- Conversion kick does not need to be taken after a penalty try
- Free kick in the event of a incomplete kick-off
- There is no “set” in the new scrum call – it will not be “crouch, bind”
The full package of law trials can be viewed here