Rugby’s 20-minute red card to be trialled in upcoming Autumn Nations Series

The 20-minute red card will be employed during next month’s autumn internationals – the first time they will be used in the northern hemisphere – despite opposition to its permanent introduction from Ireland and France.

Six Nations Rugby – which oversees the 21 fixtures during the Autumn Nations Series – has announced that the law will be trialled throughout November, including England’s four matches against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.

The 20-minute red card, which allows a team to replace a player who has been shown a red card after 20 minutes in the sin-bin, has been trialled in the Rugby Championship. It is understood there will be a consultation period before a final submission to World Rugby’s council next month to determine if a global trial is introduced.

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As was the case during the Rugby Championship, referees can still show permanent red cards for deliberate and dangerous foul play which is significant because some trials have taken place where all sendings off were met with a 20-minute red card. Straight red cards have become rare in extremis however, since the introduction of the bunker review system, which will be in operation during the November Tests.

As a result, 20-minute red cards are all the more likely. In practice, either a 20-minute red card is shown, a permanent red is shown on the spot for egregious foul play or the offender is sent to the bunker and either returns after 10 minutes if a yellow card is deemed sufficient, or is replaced after 20.

Twenty-minute red cards have been met with approval in the southern hemisphere but there has been significant opposition in the north. Previous proposals have been rejected on the grounds of player safety and there are concerns that a 20-minute red card sends the wrong message against the backdrop of the ongoing brain injury lawsuit.

Following the Six Nations’ announcement that the 20-minute red card will be introduced this autumn, the Irish union issued a statement insisting it does not support its permanent adoption. It read: “Player welfare and safety are paramount to the core values of the game and the option of a permanent red card for deliberate and intentional acts of foul play supports those values and protects the integrity of the game.

“The IRFU welcomes the variation to World Rugby’s closed law trial, which will be adopted in the upcoming Autumn Nations Series, whereby match officials will retain the ability to award a permanent red card for acts of foul play which are deemed deliberate and dangerous.”

Earlier this week, there was vehement opposition to the 20-minute red card in France. A joint statement from the French federation, the National Rugby League and the players’ union described the proposal as an “unacceptable step backwards” and insisted that the data collected remains “insufficient”.

Some in the game want World Rugby to go further, however. On the eve of the start of the Premiership season, head coaches suggested the protocols should be changed in an effort to keep “15 v 15” on the field and avoid “destroying the game”. Last season, the World Cup final, the Premiership final and the Champions Cup final were all marred by sendings off that would likely be met with a 20-minute red card.

Other trials taking place during the autumn fixtures include referees explaining key decisions to supporters in the stadium via microphone as well as countdown clocks for scrums and lineouts.