Wayne Barnes warns that Aviva Premiership referees will adopt zero tolerance approach over new scrum rules "We did 1,000 scrums or more as refs last year with the old calls so you need a bit of a reminder," said Barnes. It's better than taking a cue card out on the pitch with you. Barnes and his colleagues have made more than 40 visits to the 12 Premiership clubs during the off season to assist the process of adapting to new ways. In essence, there will be more of an emphasis on the technical skills of getting the ball back than rather than the scrum being fundamentally a power contest. The law changes, which derived from a gathering of 21 assorted former players, referees and administrators in Paris, are on trial round the world for the next 12 months. A final decision as to whether they are to be taken on board thereafter and in due time for the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be made in Nov 2014. The initiative is driven by the International Rugby Board, which is keen for it to succeed, not only to improve the game as a spectacle and get rid of the morass of collapsed scrums that needed resetting, but also to enhance player safety. It contends that the more controlled, closer engagement of the front rows reduces the impact on contact by 25 per cent. "We need to do this," said Barnes. The game is crying out for it - players, spectators, the media, all saying you need to do this. And there is pressure on referees to deliver it. Despite the siren voices, Barnes is upbeat about the new laws. His brief is quite clear. "It is about having balance at each stage," said Barnes. Balance on the crouch, on the bind and then to be stationary and balance on the set. There will be a call to the scrum-half of "Yes-nine." This is the invitation for the player to put the ball in and pretty quickly. It is not an invitation for the defensive team to start pushing. The pushing starts once the ball is in and we have to be strict on that. We want this to be a fair competition. The soundings from pre-season friendlies have been encouraging. "We have seen fewer collapses, a change in players" behaviour and more balls won against the head," said Barnes. The reception has been pretty positive. There is a will for this to work. That has definitely been evident. Concussion has also proved a hot topic in the build-up to the season. Dr Simon Kemp, the RFU's head of sports medicine, disclosed on Wednesday that any player suspected of being concussed would now be removed from the action under revised procedures termed Pitch-Side Suspected Concussion Assessment. A five-minute window was allowed for the first time last season within which a player could be temporarily replaced while he was assessed. The protocol was used 33 times in 35 games. 23 players returned to carry on, while ten were removed. Kemp reported that prior to this initiative, 25 per cent of players stayed on without any sort of assessment and that 17.5 per cent more players were removed from a game than had been the case in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. "The process is being ramped up," said Kemp, who also declared that a player such as Leicester fly-half Toby Flood, who has had head impact issues in two of his last three games, would be subjected these days to "more circumspect recovery."