Rugby: ELVs should suit the speedy Chiefs but coach has his own views

Rugby fans wondering just what the game will look like when new experimental laws (ELVs) come into force in the Super 14 aren't alone.

Coaches and players are just as curious.

The main exercise for the Chiefs during today's final pre-season hit out against the Hurricanes in Taupo would be furthering their knowledge of the ELVs, coach Ian Foster said.

Given the broad intent of the rule changes is to speed up and simplify the game, a speed-packed Chiefs squad boasting the explosive talents of Sitiveni Sivivatu, Mils Muliaina, Lelia Masaga and Soseni Anesi would seem ideally suited to take full advantage of the ELVs.

Foster would clearly hope that was the case, but he is wary of the difference between intent and reality when it comes to rule changes in rugby.

"At the moment it is a matter of conjecture what the game is actually going to look like," he said. "It is one thing to say you are going to speed up the breakdown but [doing that] will invariably lead to less people going to the breakdown, which leads to more people in a defensive line."

I guess we are all going to be looking at ways we can group defences and make more space for our backs.

"But overall the ELVs were reasonably positive last week and we are hoping to get a continuation of how the referees are going to [enforce] them under Kelvin Deaker in Taupo [today]."

Foster said he and his fellow coaches had plenty of ideas about how best to exploit the ELVs but those ideas had yet to be fully tested.

"We [coaches] probably all think we have got strategies but in reality they are probably more like theories. We are now trying to apply those theories and see if they will work out well enough to become strategies. On the strategy front, Foster quipped that he had come up with a way of ensuring his side isn't afflicted by the slow starts that have plagued their recent campaigns.

"I've implemented a new strategy of telling the players not to get injured pre-season. I've told them I'm going to get very grumpy if they do. Those comments were a reference to a horrendous injury toll that saw the severely depleted Chiefs begin last season with four losses and a draw in their first five games.

"People dwell on 2007 a bit and we weren't quite as good as we needed to be, but the reality is I've never seen an injury toll like that," Foster said.

I don't see round one as being any more important than round 11. But with the Blues first up at Eden Park we won't exactly have any problems motivating [the players] or pushing the right buttons to get them up for it."

Foster has named a squad of 20 for the match against the Hurricanes, with all players slated to receive game time.

First five-eighths Stephen Donald, prop Ben Castle and wing Anesi have all recovered from niggling injuries and will make their season bows after missing out on last week's victory over the Highlanders. "The focus of the first two games for us is not necessarily to find the number one team, it is more to get everyone on the park," Foster said. "It's not vital that we come away from this with a number one team but it would be nice if players keep putting their hands up."

"We are more interested in testing our patterns and testing our understanding of the ELVs with a second referee. We seem to be understanding them a little better but there seems to be a little bit of fine-tuning in making sure referees and players are on the same page, so there is still lots of work going on behind the scenes."

Lock Jono Gibbes will again lead his side, which boasts an experienced front row of Simms Davison, Tom Willis and Castle. In the backs, pivot Donald will combine with Callum Bruce and Richard Kahui at second five-eighth and centre respectively.

Liam Messam (knee & ankle strain) and Ben May (back strain) were unavailable for selection due to injury while Tasesa Lavea has been ruled out for the entire Super 14 with a torn foot ligament. The match is the Chiefs' last before their season opener against the Blues in a fortnight. They have a camp in Whangamata next week and will play an inter-squad game on Friday.