What is a 20-minute red card? How new rugby law will work during Autumn Nations Series

The 20-minute red card has proved popular in Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship and will now be trialled in the northern hemisphere for the first time

Twenty-minute red cards are being trialled this autumn (PA)

The 2024 Autumn Nations Series will see the 20-minute red card trialled for the first time in senior international northern hemisphere rugby as the sport’s authorities try to improve the spectacle for fans and simplify key areas of the game.

Six Nations Rugby – which oversees the 21 fixtures during the Autumn Nations Series – announced last month that the law would be trialled throughout the November Tests.

The 20-minute red card has already been introduced at both club (Super Rugby) and international (Rugby Championship) level in the southern hemisphere, where it has met with widespread approval for keeping games competitive, but there has always been significant opposition in the north.

This has usually been on the grounds of player safety, especially given the circumstances of the ongoing brain injury lawsuit being brought by retired players. Both the Irish and French rugby federations came out against the trial when it was announced but their concerns have been ignored.

So what is the 20-minute red card and how will it work? Here’s everything you need to know:

What is the 20-minute red card?

In the Autumn Nations Series, referees will have the option to award a 20-minute red card for technical offences. Any act of foul play which is deemed not deliberate or intentional will now see the player punished with a 20-minute red card rather than the permanent sending off that would have happened before.

In these circumstances, the offendning player will be removed from the field of play for the remainder of the game but their team will be able to replace that player after 20 minutes, with one of their available replacements taking the team back to 15 men.

This will stop permanent red cards being given for offences such as accidental head on head contact, where teams would be reduced to 14 men for the rest of the game.

Will there still be permanent red cards?

Yes. Six Nations rugby confirmed that referees will retain the ability to award a permanent red card for foul play, deemed to be deliberate and dangerous. In that instance, a traditional red card means a player can’t be replaced by their team even after 20 minutes have elapsed and the player will receive the full sanctioning, and subsequent disciplinary process.

Will there still be sin-bins?

Yes. When a yellow card is given for less serious foul play, the offending player will still head to the sin-bin for 10 minutes, after which they’re eligible to return to the field of play.

Why is the 20-minute red card being trialled?

Six Nations Rugby say they are “driven by a game-wide commitment to enhance the spectacle for fans, alongside the ambition to simplify the game in key areas, whilst continuing to ensure player safety and welfare standards remain paramount.”

With a number of blockbuster matches, including the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, being impacted by borderline red cards, ensuring the game can be played as 15 vs 15 for as much of the 80 minutes as possible has been a driving force.

Is everyone happy with it being introduced?

Absolutely not. The optics of appearing to put spectacle ahead of player welfare, especially given the ongoing brain injury lawsuit being brought by retired players, has been criticised by many.

Upon news of the trail being introduced for the autumn, the IRFU released a statement detailing their opposition to it, saying: “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.”

There was also vehement oppositon from France, where 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”.

Are there are any other new law variations?

Yes – there are some other, less controversial law variations also being trialled this autumn. There will be countdown clock for scrums, lineouts and kicks at goal in order to speed the game up.

Kickers will have only 60 seconds to complete a conversion or penalty, a scrum must be set within 30 seconds of the referee making their mark for the scrum and a lineout must be formed within 30 seconds of the assistant referee signalling the mark for a lineout.

If the scrum or lineout clocks run out, the team deemed to be causing the delay will concede a free kick, while a conversion would be deisallowed if kicked after the 60 seconds and timing out on a penalty kick will see a scrum awarded to the opposition.

Another law trial being introduced to the Autumn Nations Series for the first time is the option for the referee to go ‘on mic’ to explain their decision or key moments, for the benefit of those in the stadium, or watching at home via broadcast coverage.