Actually, teams in the S14 have adapted to the maul rule and now we are seeing mauls re-enter the game. It's surprising, and mauls once again have become an effective weapon, but they are harder to do.
The PR link is an obvious April 1 wind up.
The tragic thing is that people like Thommo in the NH never saw a real comp with all the ELVs reffed in a decent way week in, week out. But yet, they feel fit to criticise them non-stop.
I'm not sure with some of the ELVs without others, but I am a bit fearful now of old rules returning. Their may be less kicking once the 22 rule goes, but I suspect that their will be less running too as the ball will be out of play longer. I suspect that the level of kicking has increased due to the ruck clampdowns of attacking players on their feet. When teams are on the halfway line and are putting up midfield bombs when they didn't used to - well, this has nothing to do with 22 rule.
I was a fan of the hands in the ruck rule when players are on their feet especially, but it had a huge responsibility on the ref to ensure players were supporting their own weight. This rule in particular guaranteed a real shit fight for the ball. It guaranteed defenders must commit and better rewarded counter rucking. Sad to see it never got trialled at a pro level.
