Rugby Championship: Law variations confirmed including 20 minute red card, goal line dropout
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie will be a happy man after Rugby Australia confirmed the law variations in play for this year's Rugby Championship.
After it was blocked for the Wallabies vs France Test series, World Rugby has approved the 20 minute red card which was used in Super Rugby this season.
The sent off player can't return himself but can be replaced by a teammate after 20 minutes of game time.
Rennie had expressed his frustration in June that the 20 minute red card had not been adopted by World Rugby in its 12 month trial.
Richie Mo'unga takes a goal line dropout. Stan
Other mandated World Rugby law variations include the NRL-style goal line drop out, as shown by All Blacks five-eighth Richie Mo'unga in the first Bledisloe Cup Test (above).
The Rugby Championship kicks off this weekend with a double header.
The All Blacks host the Wallabies in Auckland (Saturday 5.05pm AEST) while the Springboks entertain Los Pumas in Port Elizabeth (Sunday 1.05am AEST), with both games live and ad-free on Stan Sport
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The new laws in a nutshell. Nine
World Rugby law variations explained
50:22: If the team in possession kicks the ball from inside their own half indirectly into touch inside their opponents' 22, they will throw into the resultant lineout. The ball cannot be passed or carried back into the defensive half for the 50:22 to be played. The phase must originate inside the defensive half.
Goal line dropout: If the ball is held up in in goal, there is a knock on from an attacking player in in goal or an attacking kick is grounded by the defenders in their own in goal, then play restarts with a goal line dropout anywhere along the goal line.
Flying wedge: To sanction the three person pre-bound mini-scrum by redefining the flying wedge.
One man latch: To recognise the potential for one player pre-latching prior to contact, but this player must observe all of the requirements for a first arriving player, particularly the need to stay on their feet.
Cleanout and safety of the jackler: To introduce a sanction for clean outs which target or drop weight onto the lower limbs.
Rugby Championship only
20 minute red card
If a player is red carded, they may be replaced after 20 minutes by another player. The 20 minutes from when a player is red carded to when they may be replaced is measured as "game time." This follows the same measurement of time already in place for a yellow carded player in the sin bin (mean sin bin clock is stopped when the game clock is stopped).
A player receives a yellow card and is sin binned for 10 minutes. If the same player, then returns to the field after serving their 10 minutes suspension and subsequently receives a second yellow card, which equates to an automatic red card. After a further 20 minutes the red carded player can be replaced.
A player who has been tactically replaced, is able to return to the field to replace a red carded player. Note if you have unused replacements (eg #23) still sitting on the bench you do not have to use them to replace a red carded player before you use players who have already been substituted tactically (eg #12).
Any red carded player cannot return under any circumstance.
