Rule changes introduced in bid to improve 2024 RL games
Rugby League fans are bringing themselves up to speed with a number of rule changes that are coming into effect across the sport in the 2024 season.
The changes have been madeinabidtocorrectsomeof the problems from last season andtrytoenhancematchesfor the watching spectators.
Amendments, which were recommended by the RFL Laws Committee, were approved by the RFL Board and will now be introduced for the 2024 season.
The board also considered aseparatepaperonconcussive and sub-concussive Impacts, which have led to a number of recommendations from Laws Committee, the Clinical Advisory Group and the Brain Health Sub-Committee which will be announced later.
Law amendments for 2024 include a change with scrum penalties.
Teams awarded penalties fromscrumsmaynowtakethe option of resetting the scrum – whereas previously, that optionwasonlyavailableforearly detachment.
The Laws Committee recommended the change to encourage attacking play from scrums and disincentivising the deliberate conceding of penalties.
The option of using the sinbin for a repeat offence is seen as especially significant in this regard.
The six again rule is being tinkered with so that if a defending team infringes within the 40-metre area of the team in possession, then the referee will award a penalty, rather than restarting the tackle count.
The Laws Committee felt that some teams were deliberatelyconcedingsix-againsearly in the tackle count to gain a tactical advantage.
As part of this, match officials will put particular emphasis on cleaning up the ruck area.
Players, coaches and match officials have agreed to see greater sanction for flops, hands on the ball-by-ball carriers and to ensure that ball carriers regain their feet on the mark and make a genuine attempt to play the ball with the foot.
Ahead of the season work willtakeplacetoimprovethese areas and in matches, officials will be expected to sanction these infringements more firmly.
Other exemptions remain – professional fouls, repeat infringementsorwhereplayhas broken down.
Another change will see the 18th player, which teams have named in their matchday squad for use in case of head injuries, now be more readily available.
Whereas they could only previously be used when three players had failed head injury assessments (HIAs), they will nowbeactivatedfollowingtwo failedHIAs–orwhenaplayeris deemed ineligible to return to the field by any injury (not only to the head) caused by serious foulplaywhichhasledtoanopponentbeingdismissedorsent to the sin-bin.
This change has been endorsed by head coaches, the Laws Committee and the Clinical Advisory Group.
Followinganincreaseinthe 2023 season in the number of tackles that caused serious lower limb injuries, the Laws Committee recommended a new category of misconduct as part of the dangerous contact charge.
This is defined as recklessly endangering the safety of another player by making recklesscontacttothelowerlimb(s) of the ball carrier where they have not made a “controlled” attempt to make a tackle.
This law will only be relevant where the tackler has made contact with the lower leg(s) of the ball carrier.
For the avoidance of doubt first contact with the ball carrier could have been above the knee joint, but in this situation the direction of the force from the tackler must have been toward the floor.
Indicators for this law breach are the tackler is off theirfeetatthepointofcontact with the ball carrier or there was a failed to attempt to wrap their arms around the ball carrier as the tackle was made.
It could be that contact was made with the legs of the ball carrier on or below the knee or players may have put their own head in front of the ball carrier.
It will also be an offence if in the opinion of the referee the player is not looking at the ball carrier when going into or on contact and approach to contact is out of control.
The green card will continue to be used, but only in the Betfred Super League and not in the Championship now.
Itisonlytobeshowntoplayers on the defending team and can no longer be shown to the ball-carrier.
The card was introduced to reduce the time taken to deal with injured players on the field of play, without compromising player safety.
Soiftherefereehasbeenrequestedbyaphysioordoctorto stopplaybecauseofapotentially serious injury to a defending player and the player involved is not interchanged or taken off for an HIA, the player will be shown a green card requiringhimtoleavethefieldfortwo minutes of playing time.
Also as previously, a club may use one of their interchanges to allow the player to remain on the pitch.
The RFL Laws Committee recommendations followed a meeting attended by chair – Dr Dave Rotheram (RFL chief on-field officer); Robert Hicks (RFL chief regulatory officer); Dave Elliott (RFL match officials senior coach); Laura Fairbank (RFL head of medical); June Fairhurst (Sky Sports, media representative); Prof Ben Jones (RFL strategic lead for performance, science and research); Rhodri Jones (RL commercial managing director); Andrea Murray (national educationmanager);MikeFord (Oldham – League One representative); Paul Cullen (match review panel); Tony Sutton (RFL chief executive).