When The Pumas y New Zealand begin on Saturday the 2024 edition of the Rugby Championship, they will play with some modifications to the regulations. The World Rugby tries to give a uniform dynamic to the different competitions that are organized under its wing and then comes the possibility of replace an expelled player 20 minutes after the original sanction.
In this way the Sanzaar –the sports organization that brings together the federations of New Zealand, South Africa, Australia y Argentina– incorporates the standard released by Super Rugby.
The main idea behind this modification is to balance the punishment. The player who receives a red card will be sent off and will not be able to return to the field and will then be punished by a disciplinary tribunal. However, 20 minutes after the card is issued, a substitute may enter.
This change seeks to ensure that the affected team “does not suffer a disproportionate disadvantage, promoting a more fluid and fair game,” as stated by Sanzaar itself in a statement. The mechanic has its roots in the yellow card, which leaves the team one less for 10 minutes, when the punishment expires and they can re-enter.
However, there is a restriction to this innovation that applies to game situations such as a high tackle. If the expulsion was due to deliberate foul play, there is no 20-minute rule and the team that lost a member will play with one less until the end of the game.
Another innovation for this edition of the Championship is the bunker rule that debuted in the France World Cup 2023: When a referee shows a yellow card to a player, while he is waiting for the penalty to expire, the TMO has 10 minutes to analyze the play of the infraction and summon the referee from the bunker – hence the name of the rule – and determine expulsion based on the severity of the infraction.
Based on the results, the World Rugby Council will make a decision on its global implementation in November. In addition, other regulatory particularities are being studied.
It will not be possible to enable a player in play when an opponent catches the ball and runs five meters, or passes him. Offside players should try to retreat in such a way that the opposing team has space to play. In this way the organization aims to reduce the number of kicks from one side to the other.
It will also not be possible to choose a scrum from a free-kick: these must be played or kicked. The action of turning or removing a standing player in the tackle zone will be sanctioned with a penalty.
From Saturday, when a player is sent off in the Championship, the automatic suspension corresponding: Those who have received it for foul play will have two weeks, if it is missing it was due to errors in technique. On the other hand, it is aggravated because it is a highly reckless or illegal action (a tackle without arms, for example, the penalty will be one month.