20-Minute Red Cards Up for Vote as World Rugby Considers Major Rule Shift

The concept, which was first featured in Super Rugby, has been used around the world recently, including on four occasions during the recent Six Nations Championship.

If there is support for introducing the 20-minute red cards into law, it will be introduced to the Women's Rugby World Cup and all other rugby later this year.

World Rugby's chief executive Alan Gilpin said, "There's a lot of evidence to support that it's keeping the contest alive, which is important to us.

"There are those in the game who are against it and believe that 20-minute red cards mean there will not be any old-fashioned red cards and therefore they're against the proposal, and there a lot of people supportive of it."

The world governing body of the game also says there is no medical evidence that 7-1 bench splits will lead to more injuries, and the tactic, introduced into the game by Springboks World Cup-winning coach Rassie Erasmus, will not be outlawed.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend raised the issue at World Rugby's 'Shape of the Game' conference during the Six Nations and reiterated his thoughts after his side beat Wales.

"The bench was not set up to suddenly have a new forward pack coming on.

"That's for World Rugby to decide. But just now, you can put eight forwards on the bench if you want. Where might the game end up?

"Is it going to be more a game where we need forwards in a 6-2 or 7-1? Or is it a game where we need backs because it's going to be so open that we've got to make sure we're bringing backs off the bench?"

World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson agreed that 7-1 splits raise questions about the game's spirit, but the governing body does not see a scientific issue in teams loading the substitutes' bench with forwards.

Gilpin said, "We looked at it from a science, medicine perspective."

They looked at whether a group of fresh players coming on for the last stages of a game was going to create a more injurious position, and the science showed that would not apply. As a result, there was no reason then to look at how they might do replacements differently.