SANZAAR greenlight controversial 20-minute red card with a twist for the 2024 Rugby Championship

SANZAAR has greenlit a host of law variations for the 2024 Rugby Championship including the highly controversial 20-minute red card.

The rationale for the implementation of the variations is to speed up the game to reduce the amount of “unnecessary stoppages and to clarify law interpretations”.

Rugby Championship Law variations

In the event that a player’s act of foul play is deemed to be deliberate and with a high level of danger, a “full red card” will still be issued meaning that their team will play the remainder of the match with one less player. However, if it is deemed to NOT be deliberate and with a high level of danger, but still meet the red card threshold, a 20-minute red card will be issued meaning that the offending player can be replaced by a substitute after a 20-minute sin-binning.

The variations on the red cards is not the only trial SANZAAR will be running during the tournament as a shot clock will be used in order to speed up the scrums, lineouts and kicks at goal.

There are also new laws around the protection of the number nine (scrum-half) at the back of scrums, mauls and rucks.

Finally, teams will no longer be punished for a lineout throw that is not straight in the event that the opposition does not compete.

“The Rugby Championship is the flagship of the sport in the southern hemisphere and annually we see the best players in the world battle it out for the title,” SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris stated.

“We believe this year’s championship, that has been keenly anticipated by the players and rugby fans, will again exhibit the best of what the game has to offer with exciting, tough action on the field, enhanced by the evolution in the Laws of the Game.”

Rugby Championship – red card law variation explanation

The traditional red card will still be used in part during the 2024 Rugby Championship but only in the case when an act of foul play is determined to be deliberate and with a high level of danger it will result in a full red card for the offending player who will not return to the field nor be able to be replaced.

If an act of foul play does not meet the above threshold, then a 20-minute red card will be issued in which the offending player will be removed from the match but will be entitled to be replaced by another player after 20 minutes. The offending team will then be able to replace the red carded player with one of their available replacements.

SANZAAR explain that the rationale behind this variation is that the “individual, not the game, is punished for red card offences.”

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Speeding up the scrums, lineouts and kicks at goal

For the Rugby Championship, place kickers will have 60 seconds to complete their kick at goal whether it be a penalty or a conversion.

The shot clock will start after a try is scored with the kicker then given 60 seconds to take their kick while the kicker will have 60 seconds to kick a penalty from the time the referee is informed of a kick at goal option.

In the event that a player exceeds this time limit the conversion kick shall not count/be kicked – play restarts at the centre mark.

For a penalty kick at goal, a scrum is awarded to the non-kicking team at the place of the penalty if the kicker fails to complete the kick.

One the referee provides the teams with a mark for the scrum, the set piece must be set in 30 seconds. A free-kick shall be awarded at the place of the scrum against the team that the referee deems to be causing the delay.

Teams will also be awarded just 30 seconds to complete a lineout from the moment that the assistant referee signals the place of the lineout. A free-kick shall be awarded on the 15-metre line against team causing the delay.

SANZAAR states that the rationale for these variations is to “speed up ball returning to play after a score, kick for touch or scrum.”

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Protection of the scrum-halves at scrums, rucks and mauls

The number nines will also be better protected in the Rugby Championship this year with SANZAAR confirming variations to the scrums, rucks and mauls in order to allow the scrum-half – or player in that role – to play the ball away cleanly from the phase of play without disruption.

Ruck: A player who was part of the ruck may not play an opponent who is near it, and who is attempting to play the ball away. ‘Near’ is defined in Law as being “within one metre”. Sanction: Penalty

Maul: A player who is part of the maul may not play an opponent near it, and who is attempting to play the ball away.  Sanction: Penalty

Scrum: Once play in the scrum begins, the scrum-half of the team not in possession must take up a position with both feet no further than the centre line of the tunnel; or permanently retires to a point on the offside line either at that team’s hindmost foot, or permanently retires at least five metres behind the hindmost foot. Sanction: Penalty.

For the love of scrums, World Rugby stop changing the laws!

Play-on for skew lineout throws

This has been somewhat of an unwritten law in rugby for sometime now that when a hooker throws a lineout skew and his teammate catches it with no contest from the opposition that the referee will allow play to continue.

Now, for the Rugby Championship at least, this is official with SANZAAR providing the following rationale behind the decision: “Doesn’t force a stop in play where no material offence has taken place.”

Rugby Union Laws dictates that the ball must be thrown straight into the lineout. But in the 2024 Rugby Championship, if the defending team are not lifted to compete for the ball, then play shall continue in the instance a throw may appear not straight.

But in the event that the defending team does lift a teammate to compete for the ball and a throw is not deemed not straight by referee, then they shall be offered the option of a lineout or scrum. If the lineout is chosen and the ball is again not thrown straight, a scrum is awarded to the team that originally threw in the ball.

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