The world rugby body announced on Thursday 9 May that teams were abandoning the option to call for a scrum after being awarded a free-kick, in order to speed up play on the field. The new rules come into force on 1eh July, World Rugby added.
Hand penalty after free kick
After a free kick, a team will only have the choice of taking the penalty with their hand or foot, rather than calling for a scrum which slows down play.
World Rugby also ratified the end of the “Dupont Law”, named after the France international, which brought teammates into play in an offside position at the restart of kicks when an opponent advanced the ball or made a pass.
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From now on, offside players must actively move back to create space for the team with the ball, and prevent sequences of kicks returning to the opposition.
The body also banned the “crocodile roll”, a potentially dangerous move that allows a player protecting the ball at a ruck to drop to the side by grabbing him in the chest. The mistake will be punished with a penalty.
A new red card law
World Rugby has also announced the experimentation of a new red card law: an excluded player will remain, but the numerical advantage will only last for 20 minutes, after which he can be replaced.
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This new rule will be used during the Pacific Nations Cup in August and the WXV Women’s competition in September.
“I think these changes and (their implementation) in matches in the near future will improve the entertainment factor”explained the president of the international body, Bill Beaumont.
“As with all experiments, we will study their effectiveness carefully”he added.
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