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Radical new trial laws introduced to Australia's National Rugby Championship
By Online Editors
Two new law trials are set to reinvigorate play in the upcoming season of the National Rugby Championship, which begins on August 31.
Teams will now be rewarded for strong defence with a goal-line drop-out when the ball is held up in the in-goal area.
They will also be recognised for aggressive territorial kicking with the introduction of a 50:22 play.
Attacking teams that boot the ball indirectly from open play or a free kick within their own half and land it either within their opponent's 22 or touchline will earn a lineout throw.
The two law changes emulate rules that exist within rugby league, with the 13-man code already enforcing a goal-line drop-out for teams which hold up opponents in their in-goal area.
Additionally, the 50:22 play is a variant of the 40/20 rule that already exists in league, whereby players who indirectly find the sideline in the opposition's 20 metre mark with their boot from inside their own 40 metre mark retain the ball.
Such rule changes in union will likely result in more attacking kicking throughout this season's NRC as the emphasis on territory and field position intensifies.
The NRC will also introduce lunchtime kick-offs scheduled around the Rugby World Cup, allowing fans to enjoy both the domestic competition and the Wallabies' adventures in Tokyo on TV.
Use of suburban grounds, such as Apex Oval in Dubbo and Viking Park in Canberra, will be continued.
National Rugby Championship 2019 schedule (all times are local):
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Latest Comments
please explain to me how dead men can be free
Go to commentsyes definitely - I think if England finish fourth then Borthwick should go, but I think as long as he stays then Wigglesworth, Sinfield, and Harrison will feel pretty safe. El-Abd is the only one I could see being sacked before him.
But surely going all in on attack both in terms of tactics and in terms of selection will just make El-Abd's job impossible? Why not pick Earl and Underhill and try to retain possession as much as possible? Sure, england's running game might lack a little bit of bite, but it wouldn't be nonexistent, and off the ball they would have their best defenders and jackalers on the pitch.
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