World Rugby conference set to address the sport's biggest talking points

Off the back of a hugely successful Rugby World Cup 2023 and in the midst of the Six Nations, amongst other domestic rugby competitions taking place, the State of the Game conference is now in full swing.

The annual World Rugby conference falls within the law review cycle and is set to take stock of game and fan trends before delivering outcomes to be considered and in turn recommended to the Executive Board in March.

In recent years the forum has been key in delivering law application guidelines to speed up the game as well as innovations such as the Bunker review system.

This year it's likely that some of the sport's most talked about areas will be addressed, for example the infamous 'Antoine Dupont law' and TMO interventions.

“World Rugby’s purpose is to grow the global game by making it more relevant and accessible," said a World Rugby spokesperson.

"The Shape of the Game conference is an annual forum that brings together playing, coaching, match officiating, medical and fan experts from across the game to consider the latest trends and make recommendations to advance playing and audience experience.

"As with previous editions, outcomes will be considered by World Rugby with recommendations being made to the Executive Board.”

Day one will focus on the general presentation of latest information regarding data and trends from playing, medical, and fans, while day two will be committee meetings (community, high performance men’s and women’s, professional leagues and the professional game), with information considered and generic recommendations leading to joint group discussions on day three for consideration.