Six Nations rivals share new red card law variation view

NEWS: Ireland came out and shared Six Nations rival France’s views on World Rugby’s permanent adoption of a 20-minute red rard.

In a statement issued on Friday, the IRFU stated that they do not support the permanent adoption of a 20-minute red card.

The IRFU said that player welfare and safety are paramount to the game’s core values and the option of a permanent red rard for deliberate and intentional acts of foul play supports those values and protects the integrity of the game.

The IRFU welcomes the variation to World Rugby’s closed law trial which will be adopted in the upcoming Nations Series.

This variation will see match officials retain the ability to award a permanent red card for acts of foul play which are deemed deliberate and dangerous.

Match officials will also have the option to issue a 20-minute red card for technical acts of foul play deemed to not be deliberate or intentional.

The offending player in these circumstances will be removed from the field of play with the offending team being able to replace that player after 20 minutes with one of their available replacements.

This law variation was also trialled during the 2024 Rugby Championship.