The World Rugby Council has approved a series of legal changes that will come into force from 1 July 2024.
The three new legal changes relate to offside with kicks in open play, options available from free kicks, and the abolition of the practice of ‘crocodile rolling’, which moves players away from tackle/ruck areas, to promote the ball in play. The purpose is Support time and player welfare.
The program is being developed with the support of national associations, competitions, universities and athletes and is central to the sport’s stated core mission of growth through increased audience share.
In addition to these law changes, World Rugby is conducting six closed-door law trials throughout the competition. This includes the U20 Championship and the Pacific Nations Cup.
These trials, which national associations may also wish to participate in, include shot clocks for scrums and lineouts, as well as a revised red card sanction system that allows substitutions after 20 minutes. , it would certainly work from a “getting the boys to play” perspective. A section of the match where you feel a red card would ruin the match (it won’t, a dangerous tackle will ruin it).
What will the law change from 1 July 2024?
Three legal changes aimed at promoting fast-balling, with a focus on both spectacle and safety, will come into force across competitions starting from July 1, 2024.
- Onside from a kick in open play: Rewriting of Law 10.7 regarding players placed onside after kicking in open play, a player cannot be placed onside if an opponent catches the ball and runs 5 meters or passes the ball. It disappears. Rules 10.1 and 10.4 make it clear that an offside player must attempt to move back to create space for the opposing team to play into. This should reduce the amount of kick tennis in the game. This change will allow players to kick the ball downfield in as much time as they like, rather than exploiting a loophole that refuses to receive the ball and move forward. Also known as Dupont’s Law, this French-discovered law was used by F. Russell’s representatives during the recent Six Nations to the mind-numbing annoyance of English rugby experts. Perfectly finished.
- Free kick: Article 20.3 of the Act makes it no longer possible to select a scrum from a free kick. Free kicks must be tapped or kicked to encourage more ball flow. This is probably the biggest change and, among other things, will prevent teams with a dominant scrum from milking penalties from certain set pieces.
- Prohibition of “crocodile roll”: Rolling, twisting or pulling a player (‘crocodile roll’) within the tackle area is prohibited and will result in a penalty. Protect your neck.
You can read more here:
https://passport.world.rugby/laws-of-the-game/laws-news/law-changes-1-july-2024