Four New Rugby Laws to Undergo Global Trials

Four new laws, designed to make rugby union quicker and more engaging, are set to undergo global trials starting early next year. Among these, teams will be allotted 30 seconds to form a scrum, with match officials responsible for enforcing this time limit. Kickers will be permitted 60 seconds for a conversion attempt, aligning with the one-minute ‘shot clock’ already in place for penalties. Additionally, crooked line-out throws will not incur a penalty if the opposing team does not contest the ball, and like scrums, match officials will ensure the set-piece is formed within 30 seconds. Scrum-halves will also receive enhanced protection around scrums, rucks, and mauls to facilitate the supply of cleaner, quicker ball and promote faster phases of play. These laws have already been tested during several World Rugby events, including this summer’s U20 World Championship and the Pacific Nations Cup. A decision regarding 20-minute red cards, which allow an offending player to be replaced by another from the bench after 20 minutes, has been postponed until after the autumn. A version of this system is currently being trialled in the ongoing autumn internationals, having previously been used in this year’s Rugby Championship featuring South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, and Australia. France and Ireland had voiced concerns about its potential permanent adoption before the autumn matches commenced. Fiji’s Semi Radradra was initially shown a yellow card for a high hit in his team’s victory over Wales, but the sanction was subsequently upgraded to a 20-minute red upon review by the video official. Ireland advocates for officials to have the ability to permanently reduce a team to 14 players in instances of deliberate foul play—an option that was retained in this year’s autumn fixtures—while France’s federation, league, and players’ union issued a stronger statement, labeling 20-minute red cards an “unacceptable step backwards” for player safety. World Rugby was scheduled to vote on this innovation at a meeting in Dublin this week but has deferred the decision to allow “further feedback and full data analysis to be considered” from the autumn’s matches. Two other proposed changes—requiring teams to play the ball after a driven maul has stopped once, rather than twice, and the ability to mark a ball inside the 22m from a restart—will not be advanced to a full global trial. World Rugby’s focus on accelerating the game and reducing lengthy kicking passages follows research into fans’ experiences at last year’s World Cup in France.