The following Law amendments have been approved for global trial by the IRB Council. The implementation dates are the start of the Northern Hemisphere season at or around September 1st 2012 and the start of the Southern Hemisphere season at or around January 1st 2013.
It is not intended that the a Union should implement the trial Law amendments mid season or mid competition.
Unions will be given the opportunity to provide both quantitative and qualitative feedback on the trials.
In 2009 the IRB HP Referees and Tier One Rugby Coaches agreed that the Laws of the Game of Rugby did not need to be changed but that five key areas of the game needed to be refereed more strictly. It was the belief that if
these five key areas were refereed in strict accordance with Law then teams who wished to use the ball quickly and in space would be entitled to do so.
At a meeting in May 2012, the Laws Representation Group (LRG) considered the areas of the Game where, it had been agreed by the LRG/Rugby Committee/IRB Council, Law amendments were not required but that current Law was to be enforced by match officials including:
