World Rugby has announced that the U20 Championship in South Africa in June will serve as a further testing ground for the TMO bunker concept, which the governing body wants to introduce at the World Cup in France.
The Television Match Official (TMO) Bunker has already been trialled during Super Rugby Pacific, with the goal of reducing lengthy stoppages and promoting accurate decision-making for foul play.
World Rugby on Monday evening confirmed that it will operate a similar trial at the 2023 U20 Championship, hosted in South Africa in June to enable further evaluation, ahead of the World Cup in France.
The trial will be based on the following principles:
- Clear and obvious red cards for foul play involving contact with the head will receive a red card resulting in the player being permanently being removed from the game and unable to be replaced
- For any incident where a red card is not obvious, a yellow card will be issued and dedicated foul play reviewers in a central bunker review the incident using all available technology and footage
- Once 10 minutes has elapsed, the yellow card is either upheld and the player returns to the action or it is upgraded and the player permanently leaves the field, unable to be replaced
Unlike in Super Rugby Pacific, orange cards and 20-minute red cards will not feature at the U20 Championship, meaning that red-carded players cannot be replaced.
The U20 Championship returns to South Africa for the first time since 2012. The tournament will get underway on 24 June, with fixtures held in Stellenbosch, Paarl and Wellington in the Western Cape.
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