
Ireland join red card resistance
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has joined France in voicing strong opposition to World Rugby’s proposed global trial of the 20-minute red card.
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has joined France in voicing strong opposition to World Rugby’s proposed global trial of the 20-minute red card.
France have hit out against World Rugby’s plans to institute a global trial of the 20-minute red card, in a strongly-worded statement from the FFR and LNR.
World Rugby has proposed a series of law changes including reducing the impact of red cards, “aimed at enhancing both fan and player experience”.
Sanzaar announced that 20-minute red cards will be among the law variations for the 2024 Rugby Championship.
A north versus south battle could be brewing after France, England and Ireland reportedly opposed World Rugby and Sanzaar’s plans to formally introduce the 20-minute red card to Test rugby.
Former Test referee Nigel Owens says World Rugby’s plan to introduce a 20-minute red card is a “kneejerk reaction” and doesn’t solve the issue of what constitutes a sending off.
World Rugby appears set to make a radical change to the set-piece laws that favours teams with a weaker scrum, affecting a core part of the Springboks’ World Cup double triumph.
SA Rugby’s support of the New Zealand-driven 20-minute red card makes little sense in the context of the changes that have happened at amateur and professional level in South Africa.
Tappe Henning, the Vodacom United Rugby Championship’s head of match officials, says World Rugby needs to be cautious when it comes to finding a compromise between the red card and protecting the integrity of having 15 players against 15.