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The hot zones referees will clamp down on during Autumn Nations Series
By Ian Cameron
World Rugby has released a video in which referees talk about the focus areas for match officials ahead during the 2024 Autumn Nations Series.
Filmed with match official Karl Dickson, the video highlights several key areas of focus; including contests in the air, improved access to the ball for the catcher and a renewed emphasis on obstruction prevention.
Matchday officials will be particularly hot on fair contests from kicks, an area where blocking and gamesmanship have been rife of late. This is not a law change but rather a renewed application of current laws which is designed to support open and unstructured play and help create more attacking opportunities.
Also featured is the ongoing 20-minute red card trial. The policy allows teams to replace a player sent off after 20 minutes.
While the 20-minute red card has its critics. World Rugby say it aims to balance punishment while sustaining game flow and enabling more competitive and engaging matches. It's important to note that referees can still issue straight red cards.
The ‘Bunker’ system is also available for incidents requiring further review. Players sanctioned for dangerous foul play will face extended suspensions without mitigation unless appealed, ensuring that bans serve as a deterrent.
Recent statistics appear to suggest the new Law trials are working. Ball-in-play time has increased by over 2.5 minutes, reaching 33+ minutes per game. Overall match time has been reduced by 3–5 minutes due to fewer stoppages.
Restart contestability is also up 45 per cent, with a noticeable increase in dynamic mauls and faster set-piece setups, while goal kicks are now 15 seconds quicker on average. The play-on approach for not-straight lineouts has helped to reduce lineout infringements.
The 20-minute red card trial is also supported by data from the past season, which indicates a 37 per cent reduction in players entering 'Tackle School'—a program designed to educate on tackle technique as a condition for reduced suspensions—while reoffending rates remain below six per cent globally. Concussion rates have stabilized while red card incidents have decreased, suggesting a shift in player behaviour.
These trials will undergo thorough review and analysis by the World Rugby Executive Board and Council during and after the November Tests to determine their long-term viability.
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Latest Comments
Everything's a work in progress. But yes, the triple threat, needs reviving.
Ma'a benefitted from having legends around him, this team is virtually rebuilding from the floor. JB has lost Mounga & Smith & we have yet to nail in a 9 or 10 for him to consistently "kick, pass, run" outside of. Wasn't the ENG test the first he & BB have played 10/12 combo?
Also, the process to embed Jordan at 15 is barely underway. This will be his jersey under Razor as it was for the Crusaders. One obvious benefit is it allows the dual threats of Telea/Clarke to join him onfield.
Much has been made about JB going to 12 in 2022 but 12/13 has always been his "preferred position". His words back in 2015.
He played 12/13 for for Lincoln Uni Club interchangeable with Jack Goodhue in 2015/16. Both teens were targeted as the next Crusaders' midfield.
Razor selected JB as a 10/12 for NZU20 in 2016 & as a "2nd 5/8th" for Canterbury, the same year. In 2017, JB turned down the Crusaders for the Canes, where he became a 15, wing, wherever they needed him.
It's no secret that Foster was reluctant to play JB at 12 even saying in media that he's "not a 12". After selection he justified it through injuries. I suspect JB will be Razor's man at 12 for full tenure.
Go to commentsJake - thanks for the analysis. Agree.
Also would say that England have built a very aggressive defensive system, which is likely to keep opponents to low scores, especially as they settle into it. The NZ tries were well executed, and it is going to take that to create scoring chances against this England team. We will no doubt see more of that when the Boks go up against them.
But the overriding message for me is that they could not execute on the basics in the last quarter. Whether or not England should have been in that position, the fact is that they were positioned to win and could not do the basics well enough to close it out. The reason I find that really problematic is that this is exactly what I thought Borthwick was all about - that he was not targeting the flashy stuff (at least not yet), and was really putting in place a core that could be built on going forward.
Unfortunately what we saw was a team that was clearly unable to raise their game enough to win the arm wrestle in the last few minutes. That feels like a coaching miss.
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