South Africa has backed the decision to introduce a 20-minute red card amid a global split on the controversial rule change.
In a series of proposals announced by the governing body last week, the biggest talking point came around the red card.
Should this amendment go through, it will allow teams to replace a player who has been sent off after 20 minutes.
It has been well-backed in the southern hemisphere, with Australia and New Zealand particularly vocal about bringing it in, while European countries remain far more sceptical.
But what about South Africa? They effectively have a foot in both camps having aligned their domestic game with the north while also featuring in the Rugby Championship alongside the Wallabies and All Blacks.
According to SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer, they are siding with their historical rivals.
“SARU supports that (20-minute red). A red card spoils the match,” Oberholzer said back in March.
It is a slightly surprising stance given the Springboks in many ways have led the way in improving their discipline, particularly around dangerous tackles.
They have worked hard to adapt to the clampdown in high shots, but Oberholzer would still like to see the 20-minute red card implemented.
“As a spectacle – when you have 14 play against 15 – as someone said, there is a three per cent chance of the 14 winning. I don’t think that is good for the game or the spectators,” he added.
“We, SARU, will support the 20-minute red card – as proposed by World Rugby.”
His words echo that of New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson, who has long been an advocate of bringing in the law amendment.
“We’re the only sport in the world that creates a mismatch like we do and still expects fans to turn up and pay for it,” Robinson told the Guardian in July.
“I think it’ll be good to see the red card come down in terms of the amount of minutes players spend off the field. We’ve got to keep driving hard at keeping the fan at the very forefront of what we’re doing.
“There are more trials going on but that’s one thing we really believe in. Along with anything that can speed the game up, create more entertainment value and encourage less intervention from TMOs.
“You cannot have your sport stopping for two minutes at a time and taking two hours duration and connect with fans who are coming to games expecting something else.”
French Rugby Union strongly oppose World Rugby’s 20min red card plan
Meanwhile, French rugby bodies have issued a combined statement revealing their opposition to World Rugby’s plans to institute a global trial of the 20-minute red card.
The FFR – which manages France’s national team, and the LNR – responsible for clubs and the Top 14, issued a statement on Monday.
The FFR, LNR and Provale strongly oppose the adoption of the 20-minute red card rule and call on World Rugby to rely on evidence before changing such a crucial sanction, particularly regarding the impact on player safety.
Indeed, testing this rule change in four competitions with insufficient data cannot be considered a compelling reason for improvement to consider global implementation. For example, at the U20 World Championship, only three red cards were issued, making the findings insignificant.
The impact on the game
Although some believe that this rule will promote a more fluid game, the statistics provided by the FFR to World Rugby show that a red card is not systematically synonymous with defeat for the penalised team. Indeed, the analysis based on 480 TOP 14 matches and Tier 1 international matches, shows that only 60% of teams sanctioned with a red card lost at the end of the match.
Maintaining safety and rugby values
For the FFR, the LNR and Provale, the red card is a crucial tool that deters unsportsmanlike behavior and protects the physical integrity of players. Transforming this sanction into a temporary expulsion could encourage dangerous behavior, thus compromising the safety of players, which must remain the absolute priority.
French professional clubs and national team management teams stress the need to maintain a firm attitude towards foul play. The red card as a collective sanction aims to preserve balance and fair play, and its reduction to an individual sanction would weaken this essential function.
Furthermore, this rule would mark an unacceptable step backwards on the measures put in place over the last few years to reduce head impacts and encourage players to have greater technical mastery in contact.
Risks to the image of sport
Rugby is followed by millions of fans worldwide. The implementation of this rule could encourage more aggressive play or create controversies related to the tactical exploitation of the rule, thus negatively impacting the image of rugby.
Finally, in view of the elements put forward, the FFR will speak out against the entry into force of this experiment of this rule of the game at the meeting of the World Rugby Council on 14 November 2024.
World Rugby changing red card regulations? Not if the French have anything to say about it!
— The Roar (@TheRoarSports) October 15, 2024
The French Rugby Federation, the LNR and the players’ union Provale are joining forces to oppose plans to introduce 20-minute red cards.
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