World Rugby Tweaks Laws

The World Rugby Council has approved a package of law amendments that will come into effect from 1 July, 2024.

The three new law amendments relate to offside from kicks in open play, the options available from a free-kick and removal of the practice of ‘crocodile rolling’ a player away from the tackle/ruck area, and are aimed at promoting ball in play time and supporting player welfare. 

The programme is being rolled out with the support of national unions, competitions, universities and players and is central to the sport’s stated central mission of growth by increasing audience share.

In addition to these law changes, World Rugby is conducting six closed law trials across its competitions. This will include the likes of the U20 Championship and the Pacific Nations Cup.

These trials – also open for national unions to opt into – include a shot-clock for scrums and lineouts, and a revised red card sanction system allowing a player replacement after 20 minutes, sure to go down well in the “let the boys play” sections of the game who feel that red cards ruin matches (they don’t – dangerous tackles do).

What are the law changes from 1 July, 2024?

With a focus on both spectacle and safety and all geared towards the promotion of quick attacking ball, three law amendments will be operational across the game for competitions beginning after 1 July, 2024:

• Onside from kicks in open play: In a rewrite of Law 10.7 relating to players being put onside from kicks in open play, it will no longer be possible for a player to be put onside when an opposition player catches the ball and runs five metres, or passes the ball. Laws 10.1 and 10.4 will make clear that offside players must make an attempt to retreat, creating space for the opposition team to play. This should reduce the amount of kick tennis in the game. This change will prevent players from exploiting a loophole where they could receive a ball and refuse to move forwards, allowing them to kick the ball downfield in as much time as they wanted. Also known as Dupont’s Law, as discovered by the French it was perfected into mind-numbing annoyance of English rugby pundits during the recent Six Nations by one F. Russell esq,
• Free-kicks: Under Law 20.3, it will no longer be possible to choose a scrum from a free-kick. Free-kicks must either be tapped or kicked to encourage more ball in flow. This is probably the biggest of the changes and will, among other things, prevent teams with massively dominant scrums from milking penalties out of that particular set piece.
• Banning the ‘crocodile roll’: The action of rolling/twisting/pulling of a player on their feet in the tackle area (the ‘crocodile roll’) will be outlawed, sanctioned by a penalty. Protecting necks.

You can read the full details here:

https://passport.world.rugby/laws-of-the-game/laws-news/law-changes-1-july-2024

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