The debate has not stopped raging in the world of rugby. Expected for several days, the “20-minute red card” was officially adopted on Thursday, the World Rugby body announced in a press release. This will be tested experimentally for the first time this summer, during the Under-20 World Cup or the Pacific Nations Cup. An assessment will be established by the executive committee of the body in November, with a possible introduction of the measure on a larger scale.
Concretely, the red card remains in force and the excluded player can no longer return to the field. But after 20 minutes, the teams will have the possibility of replacing the offender with another player, thereby eliminating the numerical inferiority. World Rugby does not, however, specify in which specific cases this new rule will be applied, nor if it is automatic, which would cancel the “definitive” numerical inferiority. The objective is, according to the body, to provide “more simplicity, consistency and understanding for supporters”.
A novelty demanded by the countries of the South
This is the flagship measure in a list of six new rules intended to promote the “entertainment aspect” of rugby, including the introduction of a 30-second limit for a touch or scrum or the possibility of score a volley save on a return or kick-off.
The 20-minute red card sparked lively debates, with some countries including France denouncing a renunciation of the protection of players’ health by making the sanction less dissuasive for a team guilty of acts of unfair play such as dangerous tackles for example. .
Conversely, others, including New Zealand and Australia, pleaded for this “temporary” red card in order to no longer have matches “distorted” by a red card brandished by the referee at the start of the match. This was particularly the case in the final of the last World Cup with the expulsion of All Blacks captain Sam Cane by Wayne Barnes in the 29th minute of play.
