Kangaroos Kevin Walters has revealed the tweaks his side have been forced to make when it comes to how the Ashes will be officiated, with one controversial rule set to be scrapped.
Australian officials reportedly reached out to England’s governing body, the Rugby Football League, earlier this week to clarify several rule interpretations ahead of the first Ashes Test.
Several rules differ between the Super League and the NRL and the first Test is set to be refereed by Englishman Liam Moore before grand final whistleblower Grant Atkins rules over the second.
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According to Walters, the RFL has outlined how specific rules will be officiated on.
“There’s a couple of rules that the RFL use that we don’t use in our game in the NRL, one of them is the play-the-ball situation,” Walters said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“Their ruck speed and their rucks, they allow a lot more time for players in tackles to remove themselves from tackles. So we have done a lot of work in that space.
“The other one is the downtown rule, in the NRL if you’re in front of the kicker when he kicks the ball it’s an automatic penalty.
“Whereas over here, as I understand it, you can be in front of the kicker but you just can’t get inside that 10 metre boundary… if you’re in front of him, that’s okay.
“You can get down the ground, but you must give the player that’s catching the ball at least 10 metres to make his decision.”
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Another interpretation, that has the potential to catch Australian players out, could see offside penalties and six-agains be awarded due to a technicality.
“The other one… you can’t be in front of the referee, in the NRL your back foot can be in line with the referee and your front foot can be half a metre, or a metre in front of him,” Walters explained.
“Over here, both feet have got to be behind the referee. That might cause, not some problems, but make us make sure we are onside all the time.”
It was also initially feared the Kangaroos would get their first taste of the controversial green card rule.
If handed a green card, a player is sent for a two-minute stint on the sidelines if they fake an injury in order to milk a penalty.
Teams can use an interchange to allow the player to remain on the field for the two minutes they were marched for.
However, that green card won’t be used during this Ashes series, and Walters couldn’t help but sledge a handful of his players who were “happy” it was scrapped.
Kangaroos training Kevin Walters and Willie Peters.Source: Supplied
“They are not using the green card, we have a few boys happy they are not using the green card, you know who they are boys,” he said.
“I think that’s a very strange rule that the RFL use over here, trying to call someone out for faking it.
“Fortunately, that rule has been removed from the conversations, and that’s good news from the Aussies, because we have got a couple in there… no, I am not going to say that.
“Our players are very fair, above the board.”
WANE AND WOODS’ WAR OF WORDS
England coach Shaun Wane has slammed Aaron Woods, igniting the upcoming Ashes series after the former Kangaroos player lit the fuse with an early sledge.
Speaking in Triple M, Woods delivered criticism after listening to one of Wane’s team talks, suggesting he was boring his players only days before the Ashes kick off on Sunday.
“Fair dinkum, can you wake me up?” Woods said.
“Are you kidding? No wonder they haven’t won an Ashes in years.
“England are getting blokes like (Gold Coast’s) AJ Brimson, who can’t make a Queensland squad or Australian team to go over there and play for them.
“Tonga, Samoa and New Zealand have a better chance of beating Australia than England.”
But while Woods believed Wane won’t be able to inspire his troops, Woods’ comments certainly have with remarks being used as fuel for the English side.
“The boys know about it and they don’t like it. All the negative comments have been mentioned in camp and that was one of them,” Wane said to Code Sports.
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“If we can win on Saturday, then it’s going to be down to him and I will send him a thank you message after the game. It has motivated a few players.”
Wane also said he “just” remembers Woods from his playing days, explaining the former Origin and Kangaroos representative isn’t a player that was “his style”.
“I saw him play and I watch a lot of NRL but I like fast-twitch, aggressive, never-give-in, tough and confrontation front-rowers,” Wane said.
“He’s not a player I would have had (when coaching) Wigan. He was more ‘attritional’, not my style.”
It’s not the first time Woods’ comments have left a representative coach frustrated, being involved in a public exchange with Queensland coach Billy Slater during the 2025 Origin series.
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“I want to see the real Billy Slater come out – the grub that we know of. This is a bloke who kicked John Skandalis in the head and got a six-week suspension. Everyone wants to go ‘oh he’s such a nice bloke,” Woods said ahead of Game II.
To which Slater responded by saying: “You don’t know what people are going through,” he said.
“And although I might be able to handle it, the next person mightn’t be. Maybe our last coach didn’t.
“I believe the character of a person is judged more on what they say about people and how they treat people, than what an individual says to create attention.”
Slater went on to apologise to the Green family for his comments, while the rugby league world weighed in on the saga, with both parties being heavily criticised.