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'Staggeringly bad look from SANZAAR' - New TRC card trial slammed
By Ian Cameron
SANZAAR are under fire from concussion advocates Progressive Rugby after it was confirmed that the 20-minute red card will be used during the Rugby Championship.
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The 20-minute red has been trialled in Super Rugby and now SANZAAR will trial it during their premier Test competition for a second season.
The ruling has been used for the previous three Super Rugby campaigns and in last year’s Rugby Championship but has so far been rejected by World Rugby for global trials.
Under the law, if a player is red-carded he may be replaced after 20 minutes by another player. The 20 minutes from when a player is red-carded to when they may be replaced is measured as “game time”.
If a player receives a yellow card and is sin-binned for 10 minutes and then returns to the field after serving their suspension and subsequently receives a second yellow card, it equates to an automatic red card, at which point after further 20 minutes the red carded player can then be replaced.
Allowing red-carded players to be replaced after 20 minutes, southern hemisphere teams are continuing to push for its acceptance and will use it to gather more supporting evidence through the upcoming series that involves Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.
SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris said all the unions are heavily behind the move: “This is a great decision for The Rugby Championship and follows on from its application in Super Rugby. All the SANZAAR national unions – Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – are fully behind the extension of the red-card law trail. As a group we firmly believe the integrity of international matches is very important and that wherever possible matches must be a contest of fifteen versus fifteen.
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“Within the context of the games’ laws, SANZAAR believes that a 20-minute Red Card allows for a significant deterrent to deliberate acts of foul play, while it also protects the contest of fifteen on fifteen, which is what our unions, broadcasters and fans are telling us is important.”
Morris believes – despite a global trial of the 20-minute card being rejected by World Rugby – that there is more valuable research data to be gleaned from another trial.
“SANZAAR stands alongside World Rugby’s important work on managing foul play and player welfare and will conduct a formal research project across the 2022 TRC period with all comparative findings to be shared with World Rugby at the end of the season. The aim is to gather the necessary information that allows the 20-minute red card trial to be accepted into the full laws of the game in the future.
“This season we are very excited to be bringing international rugby back to fans across all of our home territories for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic with an innovative new mini-tours format as we are committed to exploring ways to continually improve the competition,” added Morris.
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While many fans and commentators in the Southern Hemisphere welcomed the move, it was described as ‘deeply disappointing’ by the UK’s leading advocates for awareness around the issue of concussion and brain trauma in rugby players.
Progressive Rugby hit out at the decision: “Staggeringly bad look from SANZAAR in light of recent litigation; Firmly prioritises spectacle over player welfare; Two fingers up at World Rugby; Removes incentive to address behaviours and tackle technique. Deeply disappointing.”
Staggeringly bad look from SANZAAR in light of recent litigation.
– Firmly prioritises spectacle over player welfare
– Two fingers up at World Rugby
– Removes incentive to address behaviours and tackle technique
Deeply disappointing. https://t.co/qgPuFKxXzJ
— Progressive Rugby (@ProgressiveRug) July 28, 2022
Australian sports broadcaster Brett McKay noted: “Interesting. SANZAAR forging on ahead with the 20-min Red despite the complete lack of interest from World Rugby in broadening its use…”
Interesting.
SANZAAR forging on ahead with the 20-min Red despite the complete lack of interest from World Rugby in broadening its use… https://t.co/HBks3lsvWj
— Brett McKay (@BMcSport) July 27, 2022
Telegraph journalist Ben Coles wrote: “Big spectacle over safety vibes here from Sanzaar on 20-minute red cards.”
“As a group we firmly believe the integrity of international matches is very important and that wherever possible matches must be a contest of 15 versus 15.”
Big spectacle over safety vibes here from Sanzaar on 20-minute red cards.
— Ben Coles (@bencoles_) July 28, 2022
Stuff’s Paul Tully wrote: “Tomas Lavanini in a Michael Cheika-coached team could really test the wisdom of the 20-minute red card rule for the Rugby Championship.”
Tomas Lavanini in a Michael Cheika-coached team could really test the wisdom of the 20-minute red card rule for the Rugby Championship.
— Paul Cully (@paulcullystuff) July 28, 2022
A player who has been tactically replaced can return to the field to replace a red-carded player and no red-carded player can return to the field under any circumstance.
Player welfare? This is a high contact sport, every player goes on to the field knowing that. Anyone that think's red cards for accidental head contact is stopping them from happening has rocks in their head
Utter, contemptible nonsense. SANZAR are the only body in world rugby who have this right. The situation where RCs (which are randomly issued depending on who is the ref/tmo) are a complete blight on the game. The ruin the contest. When they are issued due to unavoidable errors (head clashes) they make no sense whatsoever.
It is clear that WR will relent on this in the future as they are destroying the game
If accidents are now considered foul play then they need 20 minute red cards.
The twenty minute red card needs to be implemented worldwide.
Why have a game ruined for the actions of one player, be those actions stupid, clumsy or intentional. Conversely why have a game ruined by the bias, mistake or ineptitude of the referee. One refs red is another's penalty.
The red carded player takes no further part in the game and faces the judiciary. The judiciary, in turn, once the case is examined and fault determined need offer no discount on sanction. That way dirty players spend more and more time on the sidelines and players with poor technique are forced to seek a correction to their technique.
The current card system is a mess and it is exceedingly poor form when players and supporters actively seek and excessively celebrate cards awarded against the opposition and has become a blight on the game.