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'If the 20-minute red card comes in at all levels it might be a case of 'Watch out, boys''

By Paul Smith
David Rose sends off Neil Briggs (Getty)

The Rugby Championship’s opening weekend also marked the next stage of World Rugby’s 20-minute red card trial.

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Unlike the remainder of the temporary law changes currently being piloted this is not being extended across the board, so will not be seen when the European season gets underway in the autumn.

Under the trial, a player who has received a red card or two yellows may not return to the field, but can be replaced after 20 minutes.

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David Rose, who refereed in the English Premiership between 2001 and 2013, believes this change is very much about the elite end of the sport where the quality of the spectacle is vital for the paying audience – either in the stadium or on TV.

“World Rugby tend to make decisions using evidence-based outcomes and lots of research,” he said.

“When we have occasionally seen players being red-carded in the opening minutes of a big game it has often diluted the contest – which is what this tries to deal with.

“Players need to adjust their approach around head contacts since with the way the protocol is now written we are ending up with a lot more red cards than used to be the case.

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“A lot of people look at this and say ‘the game’s gone soft’ which is nonsense, but adjustments to the new regulations are still being made by the current generation of players and coaches.

“The protocol does allow some leeway for changes in height or angle – for instance Finn Russell was only penalised and not carded recently for his contact with Cheslin Kolbe.

“But there are still grey areas which can have an impact on the game. As a result, sometimes when a red card happens it can be seen as too much of a sanction especially when it affects the spectacle for a big crowd and watching TV audience.”

Rose, who took charge of over 100 Premiership games before becoming a TMO, said that while he understands the thinking behind the 20-minute red card, he still has queries in his mind.

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“A lot can happen in 20 minutes as we saw with the All Blacks against Australia,” he said.

“One team could still run away with the game and ruin the spectacle so I’m still not sure it totally deals with that issue.

“This is only an elite level trial currently, but historically rugby union has worked with one set of laws from top to bottom. If this is ever brought in across the board, I would have some concerns about how it might impact at local level.

“It isn’t hard to see someone lower down the tree viewing it as an opportunity to take advantage of the situation should a game get a bit out of control as they know their team will only lose a player for 20 minutes.

“Picture a situation where a league game at the start of the season has been a bit acrimonious – if this regulation is brought in across the sport it might be a case of ‘watch out, boys’ when the return game happens in the spring.”

Rose believes other alternatives may also be worthy of consideration in an attempt to balance the need to deter foul play while taking a less punitive approach to technical infringements.

“One option may be for two technical offence yellow cards not to add up to a red in that match with the offender instead getting a one-match ban after the event,” he said.

“It might also be worth looking at the rugby league system of ‘on report’ for foul play as a means to address concerns about damaging the spectacle at elite level.”

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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