World Rugby considering two law changes that fans have been crying out for

World Rugby is looking at a five-phase plan, with some changes coming into play almost immediately.

In a release titled ‘World Rugby reveals phased plan to enhance rugby’s global appeal’, the sport’s governing body laid out an action plan it wants to implement to speed up the game, protect players and increase appeal to new and existing fans.

Focusing on the First Phase, from March 19 match officials have been told there ‘will be an expectation of strict application of current law’, focusing on speeding up play. The first area will now see players urged to use the ball more quickly when it has been secured at a ruck/breakdown. From now on, when a referee calls “use it”, a five-second count will begin and the nearest player [very often the scrumhalf] must get the ball away.

Other first phase enforcements on current laws include hookers being ‘expected to maintain a full brake foot to aid scrum stability and safety during the engagement sequence’ and water carriers having no engagement with match officials when on the field of play. We saw a recent example of this in the final round of the Six Nations when Wales coach Neil Jenkins, acting as water-carrier, chided Mathieu Raynal for not calling a high tackle against and Italian player.

The Second Phase involves a package of law amendments that will be considered by the World Rugby Council at its May 9 meeting. A simple proposal is the removal of the scrum option from a free-kick at a scrum, while the other two proposals are for law changes fans have been crying out for – closing the ‘Dupont Law’ kicking loop-hole and outlawing the ‘croc roll’.

• Recommendation to make adjustments to Law 10 in relation to players being put onside when there are kicks in open play, which aims to reduce kick tennis.
• Outlawing the practice of the ‘croc roll’, reinforcing player welfare focus

The ‘Dupont Law’ was in effect for the Six Nations and U20 Six Nations, leading to long and tiresome kicking exchanges in certain games (notably Scotland vs. France), while players and coaches have been calling for ‘croc rolls’ to be banned for years.

Other World Rugby law changes and recommendations 

The Third Phase of the World Rugby action plan involves the sporting body encouraging leagues and competitions to consider closed trials of these recommendations:

• Expansion of the shot clock for scrum and lineouts and reduced kicking time.
• Ability to mark the ball inside the 22m line from a restart, promoting attacking options.
• The ball must be played after the maul has been stopped once, not twice.
• Protection of the nine at the base of the scrum, ruck and at the maul following successful trials in Major League Rugby in the USA and in elite and community competitions in New Zealand.
• Play on for lineout not straight if the throw in is uncontested.

The Fourth Phase involves specialist working groups exploring areas for consideration and coming back with recommrndations.

There have been some big headlines already about 20-minute red cards and reduced tackle heights coming in quickly, but these areas may take a big more time to study and hone. This phase includes:

• On- and off-field sanctions: Comprehensive review of the sport’s disciplinary and sanctioning processes with the objective of streamlining, increasing simplicity, consistency and fan understanding. A key consideration will be the potential to combine stronger off-field sanctions for foul play with a global red card trial where a carded player is removed for the duration of the match but may be replaced by another player after 20 minutes. The final proposal will go to World Rugby’s Council in May.
• Tackle/Ruck/Breakdown: A major review of safety and spectacle issues as they relate to the breakdown, e.g. the impact of contesting the ball on the floor, jackal as opposed to an upright driving game.
• Television Match Official (TMO) protocol: Determine the optimal remit for the TMO protocol, while setting new minimum standards for technology providers.
• Replacements: Examine the latest research on the impact of fatigue and the number and timing of replacements in the elite game to determine options that might create more space on the field while improving injury rates.
• Fan experience: Build rugby’s attention share via a fan-focused view of how the game is marketed, a consistent approach to presentation of the sport across all media environments and a focus on the moments in the game that really engage fans. This will include a thorough review of the language and terminology that is used within the game.
• Tackle height: Consider the results of the community tackle height trials across 11 unions and consider appropriateness for elite rugby.

The Fifth Phase is the creation of ‘Rugby Labs’ to study areas of the game, with feedback from all stake-holders and players encouraged and incentivised to get involved. For more on the changes – immediate and to be considered – you can have a read HERE.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Change is in rugby’s D.N.A… The moves that we are making are grounded in our commitment to increasing relevance on a global basis and born from a desire to change for the better.  

“That means being bold, embracing change by dialling up the entertainment value, making our stars more accessible and simplifying terminology and language used to explain rugby to those who are yet to fall in love with it.”