My Rugby Credentials
Name: Maru Ririnui
Years played: 7
Position: Tight Head Prop (Number 3)
High School(s): Cargill High First XV, 1987; James Hargest High School First XV, 1988
Clubs: Mount Maunganui Sports Club, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand (www.mmsc.co.nz); Blackheath Rugby Club, Greenwich, England.
Level reached: English Second Division (semi-professional), Blackheath, 1998-99
Years refereeing: 0
Knowledge of the laws: 5/10
(recently reduced following discussions with real referees and testing myself with two level two exam – it seems my knowledge of the rules is somewhat dated)
Feeling about the ELVs
They make the game faster and hence more of an entertainment spectacle but they also make it more like rugby league, especially the way they are interpreted in the Southern Hemisphere.
Replacing a lot of penalties with tap-kicks is probably a good thing. It will be when consideration is given to replacing scrums with tap kicks that things have gone too far.
I’d be keen to see what the overall vision is for the game of rugby and how it should be played before committing either way.
