In a more controversial take, the Six Nations have given the go-ahead for implementing the 20-minute red card rule that World Rugby announced as a series of trials before global adoption.
Fans with Six Nations tickets, ex-players, and experts called out this rule as ‘inadmissible’ and are rallying not to make it happen.
However, the trial will happen when the Grand Slam comes alive next year.
A series of law amendments and changes have been trialled across several international and domestic competitions, with the Rugby Championship being the most high-profile. These law changes will now be sent out for union and region consultation ahead of the World Rugby Council meeting on November 14.
Should they be approved by the Council at that meeting, they will be adopted globally on a trial basis, most likely starting on January 1, with the 2025 Six Nations kicking off later that month.
New Rule for Red Card
The most contentious change is a 20-minute red card, with teams able to replace the carded player after that period of time. There was just one 20-minute red card in the recent Rugby Championship, with Argentina replacement Pablo Matera sent off against South Africa in their final game.
Welsh referee Nigel Owens has made his feelings clear on the proposed 20-minute red card, adding his support to fellow official Mathieu Raynal’s opposition.
“As far as the 20-minute red card idea is concerned, I’m not a fan. As (former Test referee) Mathieu (Raynal) has said, I don’t believe it will solve any of the problems that we have in the game at the moment,” Owens wrote in his recent WalesOnline column.
“If someone on the pitch has committed a red card offense, they should be given a red card that sees them sin-binned for the rest of the game. Simple as that.”
Other changes in law include:
- A reduced conversion time.
- 30-second limits for scrums and lineouts.
- Marking in the 22 from kick-offs.
- Single-stop mauls.
- Enhanced protection of scrum-halves.
While the fans with Six Nations tickets think these rules have a positive impact, the red-card rule is tagged as a ‘no-go’. The Northern Hemisphere teams are often threatened because they are slow on the breakdowns and are seen as acts of wasting time.
This change is one that the fans will agree to as it will now entail much faster action.
World Rugby claims that the trials have resulted in a host of positive impacts on the game, including increased ball-in-play time and short overall match times. There have also been more contestable restarts, more dynamic mauls, fewer lineout infringements, and quicker set-pieces and kicks.
It’s all part of their mission to grow the sport’s audience by making it more accessible and engaging.
Speaking about the changes, World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “This is another important step forward for the Shape of the Game program.
“As a package, these trials demonstrate our commitment to making rugby as enjoyable as possible for audiences while maintaining the integrity and competitive nature of the game. The positive outcomes from the trials reinforce our belief that these adjustments will bring lasting benefits to both players and fans.”
The Six Nations kicks off on February 1st, and tickets will soon be available to purchase.
SANZAAR Wants Compensation for Qatar Deal
SA report suggests that ANZAAR nations could seek compensation from the Six Nations after the Nations Championship deal with Qatar fell through.
The Middle East country was seen as the preferred host for the new biennial tournament after entering an exclusive two-month negotiation period.
A deal was thought to have been extremely close, but the Six Nations blocked it, according to City A.M.
The report claimed that the English, Welsh, and Scottish unions were open to the proposal but that France and Ireland were unwilling to sign up.
As a result, the deal was not accepted as the Six Nations constitution states that they vote en bloc, which means the respective unions must all agree to the proposal.
Therefore, a new host will be found for the finals weekend of the Nations Championship, a tournament in which the sport’s 10 biggest sides, plus two more—thought to be Fiji and Japan—compete in a top division.
World Rugby will then run the second tier, consisting of 12 more nations. The matches are slated to take place during the July and November windows.
It will start in 2026, aiming to allow promotion and relegation from the two tiers.
Doha was initially the favored destination to host a series of playoff encounters over a weekend in what had been billed as a ‘Super Bowl of rugby,’ but that will not now happen.
It sat right in the comfort zone for the fans with Six Nations tickets, with Doha being closer to commuting and back in time. But that will no longer be the case.
It was understood to be worth £800m over six years, or £200m per tournament, with Qatar offering to host the finals in 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032.
Unhappy Southern Hemisphere
The big Rugby Championship nations have been left distinctly unimpressed with the deal failing to go through.
New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa, who have all had their financial struggles, were understood to be “strongly in favor” of the offer and, according to City A.M., could now “demand” millions of pounds in compensation from the Six Nations sides.
A search for a new host is underway, and the USA is thought to be a potential option, especially since the Rugby World Cup will be held there in 2031.
World Rugby hopes to grow the sport in the US ahead of the tournament, and having the Nations Championship playoffs in North America could help achieve that aim.
With the Olympic rugby sevens, which proved to be a huge success in Paris, taking place in Los Angeles in 2028, there are several avenues the governing body is exploring.
For the average fan with Six Nations tickets, the advent of a World League playoff is a step forward in contrast to the one-off fixtures that the Southern Hemisphere sides play with their teams. It provides more competitiveness to the games and more team effort as the teams fight for something bigger than just the win.
