The jury is still out on whether awarding free kicks is the appropriate way to police the breakdown, says the country's refereeing boss.
Lyndon Bray, who has just started in the job as the New Zealand Rugby Union high performance referees manager, said the new rules on the whole had not solved the issue of the breakdown.
There were some new rules which were overwhelmingly positive - such as players having to be 5m back from the scrum and the new out-on-the-full interpretation - but Bray said the jury was very much still out on whether the free kick rule at the breakdown was working.
"It's probably not made it any easier to decide the outcome of the tackle ball area," he said.
"The calibration between free kicks and then penalties in the tackle is something to look at. The jury is still out whether that is the way we want to go."
He said one of the tough issues facing referees was when to go beyond a free kick and start handling out penalties, as some teams did not seem to mind conceding free kicks.
Bray admitted it did seem harsh when a team that was attacking the line and close to scoring was held up, conceding a free kick and losing the ball.
Club rugby would adopt the rules next year.
He was not convinced free kicks were the complete answer but the trial had to continue.
The Super 14 season had started with a frenetic pace, but normal service had resumed after a few rounds.
The global trial for the Elvs would continue until June next year, though not all the rules being used here are being trialled in the northern hemisphere.
The IRB would then make a decision by July next year on which rules would be incorporated in the rule book.
