KEY POINTS:
Coaching from referees during the Super 14 has gone the way of rucking. After years of listening to match officials deliver warnings to players about their infringements, spectators will see them awarding free kicks or more serious sanctions.
The incessant jabberfest from referees with their cautionary commands like "roll away seven" or "get back onside" have been sinbinned this season as Sanzar works through how best to implement the range of experimental laws.
Listen to elite referees' manager Colin Hawke and there will be zero tolerance because of the reduced free kick punishment for all offences except offside, foul play and illegal entry into breakdowns. The result according to players, coaches and referees involved in pre-season trials is a much faster game which will test the reactions of all those involved.
Even if they wanted to, referees would not have any spare breath to offer advice to rugby's miscreants.
"There is no question the pace of the game has increased and we at Sanzar have agreed there should be a minimum of chat, there has been that buy-in from the three countries," Hawke said. "There is no spare time because the match officials always have to be looking for quick throw-ins or other alterations.
Hawke's season has also got a whole lot busier since Sanzar agreed to trial the experimental laws. He has been travelling the country upskilling referees, franchises and other interested parties and will be in Christchurch tonight and Auckland tomorrow to further appraise the laws' impact.
"When we had our original conference about the game in Sydney we did not know the full extent of the changes. Since then, the referee managers in each country have been in touch a great deal to try and make sure we are all singing from the same hymn sheet," said Hawke.
There had been consensus but evaluation of those promises would start from this weekend.
Theory and practice have not always been comfortable companions in the history of Super rugby and there have already been murmurs about different interpretations in practice games in New Zealand and Australia. It has been hard for officials who have been seconded to assist franchises with the trial rules before leaving, as Steve Walsh did this week, for Six Nations duties under the current laws.
Others like Stu Dickinson have had limited time dealing with the experimental laws while the standard of refereeing in South Africa has never been much above average.
Chiefs' coach Ian Foster this week suggested some teething problems.
"We've spent two and half months getting used to these things but even then we've had last minute clarifications ... If we are only getting to that point now, it is going to be very hard for fans to get on board," he said.
"Maybe there is an onus on all of us to be educating people a bit more before they go to the ground and see a lot of free kicks and wonder why."
Hawke said referees would be strict about tacklers releasing the ball carrier, rolling clear and having to get on their feet again to play the ball while players arriving at breakdown areas would have to enter through the 'gate,' and support their weight rather than rest on their elbows.
The tackle area seemed to be better defined with the offside line and referees' antennae would be on alert if there was a great deal of slow ball.
* GET YOUR HEAD AROUND THIS LITTLE LOT
A condensed version of the changes includes:
The offside line for players other than forwards and the halfback is 5m behind the scrum.
Free kicks will be awarded for all offences other than offside, foul play and not entering through the gate.
If a maul becomes unplayable or the same applies at a tackle or ruck, the side without the ball at the start of the movement receives a free kick.
Quick lineout throws can be delivered backwards while the side throwing to a normal lineout sets the numbers. The defending team can choose to put less players into their formation,.
A ball thrown or carried back into the 22 cannot be kicked out for a lineout outside the 22 unless a tackle, ruck or maul occurs. Otherwise the lineout will form from where the ball was kicked.
Once a tackle occurs there are offside lines across the field.
Corner posts will be placed on the outside junction of the goal-line and deadball line. Players who ground the ball and take out the corner post while in mid air will be awarded tries.
Touch judges will take up an assistant referees' role to assist with decisions.
