The International Rugby Board (iRB) Council has ratified recommendations made by the iRB Rugby Committee and approved 10 of the 13 global Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) for adoption into the Laws of the Game.

The recommendations were unanimously approved and the integrated set of Laws is to be implemented globally from 23rd May 2009 or from the start of the next domestic season where competitions transcend the implementation date.

The new Laws will apply to all domestic rugby in England with effect from 1st June 2009. By this time, all domestic competition, including the County Championship, will have concluded.

In addition to the suite of global ELVs, three Union-specific ELVs were also approved for integration into Law. These include the ability for a Union to implement a maximum 15-minute half time in matches under its jurisdiction.

As a consequence, the 2009 Law Book has now been rewritten and can be viewed at http://www.irb.com/lawregulations/laws/index.html