Super Rugby 2023 Yellow Card trial

[Locke]

Super Rugby has announced a number of law trials for the 2023 season, including giving the TMO 8 minutes from when a YC is issued to upgrade it to a 20-minute red card. The goal is to let the referee more quickly issue yellow cards and also issue “permanent” red cards for clear acts of foul play warranting a send-off.

- Referees can utilise the TMO to make a Yellow Card decision, but any extended TMO video reviews will take place once the player has left the field, not before the Yellow Card is issued.

• The TMO will have 8 minutes to either uphold a 10-minute Yellow Card decision or upgrade it to a 20-minute Red Card, in which case the player will not return to the field, but can still be replaced.

• Referees will now also have the power to issue a full Red Card for deliberate foul play, in which case the player will not return to the field and cannot be replaced.

Link to the announcement: https://super.rugby/superrugby/news/super-rugby-pacific-announces-law-innovations-for-2023-season/

Link to the full list of law variations: https://super.rugby/superrugby/documents/media-files/super-rugby-pacific-2023-law-modifications/

 

[Jarrod Burton]

I like the concept - but can the TMO override the "full" red card if on review the foul play that the MO team has seen contains some level of mitigation that was unseen or unjudged? For example the sanction given to Koriobete against France which was widely seen as not RC worthy after the incident. Or when the MO's watch one or maybe two angles and go straight to the pocket.

 

[belladonna]

Good ideas! Might be useful to distinguish clearly between a 20-min red and a full red somehow... Orange card maybe?

 

[Volun-selected]

So any obvious foul play - the easy RC - stays the same. If it’s on the border, just throw up a YC and kick the can over to the TMO?

Right now this is just for TMO matches - how do we all feel if some bright spark decides that they want grass roots refs to use something similar and either a new [orange?] card or just state if the RC is a 20-min or permanent? Personally, I’m happy to stick with the current format. How about others?

Also, just read one of the variations is that “Defending 9 not being allowed past the midline of the scrum” - that sounds like something that will have more of an impact at grass roots if these go to full law

 

[crossref]

At grassroots we only use RC for egregious acts

It's only with games with TMO that tackles are closely analysed and more technical RC are issued, and therefore the 20min concept is interesting

 

[didds]

Also, just read one of the variations is that “Defending 9 not being allowed past the midline of the scrum” - that sounds like something that will have more of an impact at grass roots if these go to full law

Law trials 2022: 9 at the scrum

Ian Diddams reviews the possible consequences of the current law trials being looked at in the Queensland Challenger series. In this third article, he focuses on the consequences of the defending 9 having to stay at the scrum tunnel.

www.rugbycoachweekly.net

*cough*