Former Irish referee boss Owen Doyle has warned World Rugby against tinkering too much with the laws, particularly with the Rugby World Cup on the horizon.
Just before Christmas, World Rugby chair Brett Robinson hinted that they introduce more amendments in 2026 ahead of the global tournament in Australia in 2027.
The governing body have trialled a number of things over the past few years, some of which have become law, including the 20-minute red card, shot clocks, no scrum after a free-kick and removing blockers when competing for a high ball.
New laws for the Rugby Championship?
“Robinson, who is to be congratulated as the first chair from Australia, has been open about his ideas. He suggests introducing new laws before this year’s Rugby Championship, so that these can then go global and be utilised in the 2027 Rugby World Cup,” Doyle wrote in his Irish Times column.
“World Rugby’s regulations state any law-change must have 75 per cent approval, a requirement which Robinson says is outdated. But it is there for good reason.”
While it may improve the game eventually, it takes time for everyone to adapt, including the officials, who have the extremely difficult job of implementing those laws.
Doyle therefore believes that World Rugby have to be wary of introducing any potential amendments as bringing them in too quickly can harm the sport.
Issues at the 2019 World Cup
He pointed to the Rugby World Cup in Japan as to what can happen when the governing body are perhaps too hasty in making changes.
Although it was a fantastic World Cup with some outstanding rugby played, there was confusion over the high tackle laws.
“Rushing through law-changes, without the due process of the various stages of trialling, is also unwise. It takes longer than a year to see how things shape up and what manipulations the coaches may introduce,” Doyle explained.
“The law of unintended consequences is ignored at World Rugby’s peril. We see it now with the lineout trial, which needs urgent adjustment. The scrum also needs surgery, but holding your breath is not advised.
“Before the 2019 World Cup the head-high tackle framework was very much last-minute and caused havoc. The referees, coaches and players had no time to become accustomed to the needs of what was actually necessary for player safety, albeit introduced far too late.”
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