Kiwis and Aussies agree on Trans-Tasman laws
Goalline drop-outs and red card replacement laws will be retained for the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition, which gets underway on Friday.
The rules have been used in the domestic Australian and New Zealand competitions, and adopted for the six-week series after consultation by the governing bodies.
Captain’s referrals, used in Super Rugby Aotearoa, won’t be used for extra time during the regular season.
However golden-point extra time will apply in the Final.
Teams will share the points for tied matches during the round-robin stage.
Super Rugby AU rules which won’t carry over are the 22/50 and 50/22 laws that rewarded tactical kicking, and golden try extra time.
The competition opens on Friday with a double-header when the Highlanders face the Queensland Reds at Forsyth Barr Stadium, before the NSW Waratahs square off against the Hurricanes at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
There will be 25 regular season matches before the two top-placed teams on a combined competition ladder meet in the final on June 19.
“We enjoyed some great discussion between stakeholders here in Australia and in New Zealand, and now really look forward to the competition kicking off this weekend,” Rugby Australia Director of Rugby Scott Johnson said.
“The goalline drop-out has proven it is fit for purpose and it has allowed for greater ball in play time compared to a five-metre scrum.
We have seen the red card replacement serve its purpose too in Harvey Norman Super Rugby AU, and while we never want to see red cards, we now know that it doesn’t have the potential to ruin a close contest.
“Similar to the domestic competition, we believe we have struck the right balance in preserving the integrity of the competition while also developing our players for the Test arena, which now isn’t too far away,” Johnson added.
New Zealand Rugby Head of High Performance Mike Anthony said it was important to ensure the laws used over the next six weeks did not disadvantage players from either side of the Tasman.
“New Zealand Rugby has trialled a range of innovations this season in Super Rugby Aotearoa and we are reviewing those trials with a view to making some recommendations for future competitions,” he said.
“For Super Rugby Trans-Tasman we have agreed with Rugby Australia to stick to laws that were consistent across our respective domestic Super Rugby competitions, which in this case are the goalline drop-out and the red card replacement.
“Statistics from Super Rugby Aotearoa indicate the goalline drop-out has achieved its purpose of speeding up the game and getting the ball back in play more quickly than a five-metre scrum, while we believe the red card replacement rule maintains the integrity of matches for players and fans alike when a player has been sent off,” Anthony added.
There will be 25 regular season matches before the two top-placed teams on a combined competition ladder square off for the title in the Final on 19 June.
Trans-Tasman-fixtures (kick-off is NZ time – GMT plus 12 hours)
