I'm pretty traditionalist and there are a number of things about the new laws that concern me. I know the game has been sped up, but I enjoy all the different aspects and the diversity of this game. I enjoy kicking for territory and lineouts. I love mauls and would hate to see them pulled down. I love watching aggressive rucking and proper body positioning and organised application at the breakdown being rewarded with quick ball. I love the fact that you have to manipulate defences over more phases than one in order to get that breakthrough because the defence is in your face on first phase ball.

Although it may not seem apparent at first, all these free kicks, 5 meter rules, etc. does seem to suggest a general move towards a more leaguey game. The 5 meter rule in particular seems like a way of trying to fix one possible development from a new law (teams just taking free kicks) by introducing another one as an incentive. Doesn't seem that well thought out to me and looks like change for the sake of change.

All these free kicks just give teams more ways to slow ball and get away with it without paying for it in points. Ah, but the ref will just give penalties/cards after repeated infringement or that mythical "foul play" law. But by then the damage is already done and doesn't that just introduce a bigger dimension of interpretation by refs and thus larger scope for inconsistent refereeing? We've seen that already in this S14.

I think many here have said it before. There wasn't really anything wrong with the laws before - just the application. Penalising and carding every time players flop over at the breakdown, forcing halfbacks to put it in straight, bringing back proper rucking with the stipulations that Kirwan mentioned recently, would make for a fine game under the "old" laws.

Many fans get caught up in the 'blame oz campaign' and that really is just an overwhelming fear of losing "their" game. While that criticism may be somewhat misguided and misinformed, the Aussies have in the past shown interest in minimising traditional forwards contests in favour of a free flowing running game. The memory of that surely gives rise to blaming everything concerning new laws and such on the Aussies, even though it probably isn't some grand convict scheme to turn our sport into league.

I hope something good comes out of this experiment (which it must still be considered) and I'm not about to give up on the game and all that. But I can't say I have that much confidence in the stewards of our divine game.