Rugby Australia has recently released some information regarding Laws to be played domestically in 2018.
2018 Game Management Guidelines
The Game Management Guidelines are an amalgam of outcomes of various conferences and workshops held over the past few years. They have been adapted to reflect the playing, coaching and refereeing of the game at community levels in Australia for 2018.
The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure that all participants at the community level are aware of the areas of the game that require more specific coaching and/or consistency in refereeing. Within the guidelines you’ll find information on Law changes and areas of emphasis for 2018.
A supporting PowerPoint will be distributed by Rugby Australia by 9th February, and an online course will be available on the Rugby Learning Centre by the end of February.
View the 2018 Game Management Guidelines
World Rugby & Rugby Australia Law Changes for 2018
World Rugby has continued its Law review process in-between World Cups. Below find the various changes that will apply in 2018 – some continue from 2017, some are new for 2018.
View the 2018 Law Changes
U19 Law Variation decision
In August 2015, a working group was convened following feedback from both community stakeholders and talent development staff regarding the effectiveness of restricting locks from binding between the legs in the scrum in the older U19 age groups.
Rugby Australia has conducted a two-year process of reviewing this U19 variation. Please see attached the project report outlining the steps taken, the results of qualitative and quantitative data collected, and the final recommendation.
Rugby Australia concludes that there is no evidence that the World Rugby U19 Law Variation is any more dangerous or unsafe than the current Australian U19 Law Variation at the age groups trialed. The National Safety Committee has supported this conclusion.
Therefore, for season 2018, the current Rugby Australia U19 Law Variation 20.3 (f) will be changed to read:
At age groups U15 and below, binding between the legs of either prop by either lock is illegal.
This means that for the 2018 season, ‘crutch binding’ will be legal in age groups U16 and above, and illegal in age groups U15 and below. (This is also consistent with the age cut-off at which players may lift on the legs in lineouts.)
For further information on this Law Variation please contact Jamie McGregor at Rugby Australia on 0407 576 684 or Jamie.McGregor@rugby.com.au
View the Under 19 Law Variation Memo from Rugby Australia