1 Apr 2009

Mauls set for revival after law review

6:36 am on 1 April 2009

The maul is set to become a major feature in rugby again after a two-day IRB conference in London voted to throw out an Experimental Law Variation which had allowed mauls to be pulled down.

The experiment of punishing more offences with free kicks instead of the harsher penalties is to be reviewed.

The conference, involving about 60 officials, is not a decision-making body, but it's role is to assist the IRB to finalise their own list from the 23 original experimental rules, for permanent incorporation into the game's rulebook when the IRB council meets on May 13.

The Experimental Law Variations have divided world rugby with support for them coming mainly from southern hemisphere countries, while the critics are mostly European.