New Zealand Rugby is using the upcoming Super Rugby Aotearoa competition as a chance to experiment with several exciting rule changes.
The revamped domestic tournament kicks off on June 14 in Dunedin when the Highlanders host the Chiefs and features all five New Zealand franchises in a 10-week format.
Golden Point
Golden Point tiebreakers, the ability to replace players following a red card, and a renewed focus from referees ensuring a fair contest at the breakdown are among several innovations fans will see on show during the competition.
NZR Head of Professional Rugby Chris Lendrum said Super Rugby Aotearoa provided an opportunity to trial innovations designed to make the game more exciting for fans and players alike.
"We want this competition to look and feel different," Lendrum said.
"We’ve had great support from our coaches, players and referees to make Super Rugby Aotearoa faster, safer and more exciting than ever before."
The Golden Point rule is identical to that of the NRL with the two teams set to play 10 minutes of extra time. The first team to score through any method will win the match and earn four competition points. The losing team will earn an extra point.
"Draws can often leave everyone feeling a little empty and after feedback from our coaches and players we have added the golden point rule," Lendrum said.
"We’ve seen the excitement it can generate in other codes and we think adds a real edge."
Red Card Rule
Players who receive a red card can be replaced with another player 20 minutes after they are sent from the field.
The sent-off player cannot return to the field and will face Sanzaar’s existing judicial process. There is no change to the yellow card sanction.
"While players should, and still will be, punished for foul play, red cards can sometimes have too much of an effect on a match," Lendrum said.
"There are no winners when a player is red-carded, but paying rugby fans, players and coaches want to see a fair contest.
"Replacing a player after 20 minutes strikes the right balance."
Breakdown innovations
NZR National Referee Manager Bryce Lawrence said the existing laws at the breakdown would be applied more strictly to create faster-attacking ball and a fairer contest.
"Fans enjoy Investec Super Rugby because it’s a fantastic spectacle and our referees like to allow the game to flow.
"We’re confident we'll see a contest that is faster, fairer, safer and easier to understand.
"We're not changing the laws of the game, we're being stricter about how we referee them."
- Ball carriers will be allowed only one dynamic movement after being tackled.
- Crawling, or any secondary movement other than placing or passing will be penalised.
- Tacklers will be expected to roll away immediately in the direction of the side-line. This will be a referee’s “number one priority” at the tackle.
- There will be "extra focus” on the offside line with defenders expected to be “clearly” onside to provide attacking teams more space.
Points allocation
- 4 competition points to the winning team
- 1 competition point to the losing team
- 2 competition points to each team if neither team scores during extra time
- 1 competition point to any team scoring three tries or more than the opposition
