IT’S ALL CHANGE FOR CLUB RUGBY
WORLD Rugby has announced sweeping changes to the community game that could see teams reduced from 15 players, matches no longer played over 80 minutes and weight bands introduced in the youth game.
From January 1, 10 optional law variations aimed at improving participation will be free for World Rugby member unions to use at their own discretion.
They include flexibility on the number of players in each team, game duration, ball size, pitch size and modification of the laws that govern scrums, lineouts and kicking.
Implementation of the law variations will be centrally monitored by World Rugby, with a global research project providing an evaluation of the impacts in terms of injury-prevention and overall participation.
The working group to establish the new law changes involved member union community rugby directors, World Rugby council members, World Rugby community rugby committee members, World Rugby regional and executive staff.
World Rugby also tapped into a number of national models already in existence, including Wales, to share their knowledge and expertise.
The ‘Game On’ principles consist of 10 optional law changes, with unions free to pick and choose from them based on the context and suitability.
The changes that will be allowed under the new laws include:
reducing teams from 15-a-side to as few as 10-a-side, providing both teams have an equal number of players and have agreed to the changes beforehand;
reducing the length of the game from 80 minutes to as short as 40 minutes, with the ability to split matches into quarters or thirds;
reducing scrums to a minimum of five players for 10-a-side games;
allowing teams to agree not to contest or lift in lineouts;
allowing teams to agree that penalties and free-kicks can only be kicked to touch from inside a team’s half;
introducing weight-based banding for matches in age-grade rugby and lower tackle-height;
allowing matches to be played on surfaces including sand, clay or snow, with 10-a-side matches to be played on half a pitch;
permitting the use of smaller balls in certain matches or competitions.
Full story on page 45.