Another Six Nations tournament adopts the 20-minute red card and other laws
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Women’s Six Nations will be the first women’s competition to adopt the global law trials on March 22.
The tournament will be played over five rounds, setting the scene for a defining year in the women’s game.
The Women’s Championship was launched on Friday when the captains and head coaches from England, Italy, France, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland gathered in London to record a famous moment before the fixtures get underway later this month.
As the women’s game evolves on the pitch, so does the promotional activity to raise the profile of women’s rugby and its stars, with the 2025 event highlighting the commitment to creating an outstanding experience.
The Women’s Six Nations has established itself as the biggest annual international stage in the sport, offering a platform for the players to shine in front of millions of fans, inspiring global audiences with elite sporting entertainment.
A 9% rise in audiences tuning in to watch the fixtures each year, attendances up 45%, and increased engagement across social and digital platforms confirms the appetite from fans to be part of the Championship, which goes beyond the match day experience.
Impressive start by the host nation! 🇿🇦https://t.co/9fSB6YSK7U
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) March 7, 2025
On the pitch, the Championship will be the first women’s competition to adopt the Global Law Trials being introduced across the game, together with technological innovations led by Six Nations Rugby designed to enhance the experience for fans, support match officials, and prioritise player welfare.
These innovations include referees having the option to go ‘On Mic’ during fixtures, to explain key decisions and outcomes for those in stadia as well as watching via broadcast coverage.
The variation on the 20-minute red card law trial will also appear in the Women’s Six Nations. The variation allows referees to award a full and permanent red card for deliberate and dangerous acts of foul play, with technical offences benefiting from the 20-minute red card option, to ensure the player is punished rather than the team, during the match.
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Attending the event in London, Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby said: “The excitement leading into the 2025 Women’s Six Nations reflects the significance of this year for the entire women’s game.
“The Championship is the biggest annual event in women’s rugby, and this year the stage is set for the stars of the game to shine and inspire.
“More fans are tuning in to watch coverage of the fixtures, there is greater engagement across social and digital channels, and our unions and federations will host more fans at sold-out venues over the coming weeks.
“The momentum the Women’s Six Nations is generating demonstrates our ambition to keep growing rugby’s reach, promote the game to make it relevant to a broader set of fans, with this year’s Championship a powerful first act for women’s rugby in 2025.”
