'Orange card' to hit World Cup

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: World Rugby is considering adopting orange cards for the World Cup, according to Joel Jutge, the governing body’s head of match officials.

A form of the yellow card review system is currently being trialled in Super Rugby Pacific and it could be fast-tracked into the global showpiece hosted by France this October.

While players can still be given a red card for instances of foul play, the referee has the option of showing a yellow that can then be upgraded to red on review by the TMO.

The idea of the initiative is to speed up the game by reducing the number of on-field replays of incidents while also dealing with contentious decisions, such as the dismissal of England fullback Freddie Steward against Ireland last month.

Steward was controversially sent off for a dangerous challenge on Hugo Keenan during the March 18 Six Nations encounter in Dublin, but the card was subsequently rescinded by a disciplinary panel.

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“This is an operation being tested in Super Rugby,” World Rugby’s Jutge told Midi Olympique.

“In the event of a 50-50 decision, the referee has the possibility of giving a yellow card so that the game can resume as soon as possible, while the TMO has 10 minutes of temporary expulsion to decide whether this should be turned into a permanent expulsion.

“We would give orange cards, clearly.”