The Effect of Law Changes on the Lineout in Rugby Union with Regards to the Six Nations, Tri Nations, European Cup and Super 12 Competitions from 1999 to 2003

Document Type : Original Article

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Cardiff School of Management, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Abstract

Any sporting event is defined and played within a framework of rules. Once defined, they rarely remain the same, mutating in response to the dynamic pressures generated by the various participants. Rugby union has undergone a many rule changes in the game and has rich potential for investigation of of rule related variables. This paper investigated the effect of these changes with reference to the Six Nations Tri Nations, European Cup and Super 12 competitions (n=496) over a period of 5 years, between 1999 and 2003. Data captured from the year preceding the rule change (1999) was compared with the four following years. Using Kruskal-Wallis it was found that there were a number of significant differences (H < .01) in the data. Further analysis was undertaken using a post-hoc application of a Mann-Whitney to test significance. The introduction of the new rules introduced positive aspects to the lineout in terms of increased competition. In addition to changes within the data, there appeared a number of themes in terms of differences between groups in the way the rule changes were accepted; unexpected outcomes from rule changes and finally consistent patterns in the data that could be related dynamical systems.

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