International rugby chiefs last night announced two major law changes to the game relating to mauls and lineouts.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) said that from June 1 a player who is supported in the lineout must be lowered to the ground after the ball has been won.
When a maul isstopped from going forward it may be restarted once, providing this happens within five seconds.
This law, also applicable from June 1, has been introduced in an attempt to encourage the commitment of more defenders to the maul, creating more space in midfield.
The board also decided at its annual meeting in Copenhagen to lift restrictions on the colour of headgear.
The amendment to the maul law was proposed by All Blacks selector Peter Thorburn and was deemed worthy of further examination by the IRB after its annual conference in London last month.
Thorburn had proposed a law that would allow five seconds to restart a stalled maul as opposed to the present "use-it-or-lose-it" rule.
The ruling forces teams to commit more players to the maul, rather than fanning them out across the field to defend when they knew the ball was being freed.
