Controversial 20-minute red card will apply across professional rugby

The measure was trialled in this year's Six Nations and will apply across the sport next season.

SIN BIN: Garry Ringrose of Ireland, left, is shown a yellow card by referee Christophe Ridley during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Rugby's controversial 20-minute red card will be applied in all professional competitions next season after the World Rugby Council approved the measure for a global trial.

The rule was trialled in this year's Six Nations, with Garry Ringrose receiving the first 20-minute punishment for an accidental clash of heads in the game against Wales.

The 20-minute punishment applies to foul play that the match officials don’t see as “deliberate or intentional”. The offending player is sent off for the remainder of the game, as usual, but can be replaced by a substitute after 20 minutes.

French rugby led opposition to the rule, fearing it may encourage more aggressive play and expose players to injury. The IRFU also voiced reservations about the rule last October. 

World Rugby say the rule helps preserve the spectacle of rugby for spectators, ensuring that "individual players – not the contest as a whole – bear the consequence of reckless actions".

It adds: "Importantly, referees retain the authority to issue a full and permanent red card for any foul play considered deliberate and highly dangerous. Two yellow cards will constitute a 20-minute red card, unless the second offence meets the threshold for a full red card."

The rule will take effect from the U20 World Championships in June and will apply in the Women's World Cup in August.

It remains to be seen if it will be used during the Lions series in Australia. It is up to the Lions and the Wallabies to apply for the rule to be in force.

A global law trial is the final step before any trial law becomes a full law of the game subject to Council approval.

World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “Our mission is to ensure rugby is a compelling sport to play and watch. The 20-minute red card preserves the fairness and drama of elite competition by punishing the individual, not the entire team or the spectacle.

“Player welfare is non-negotiable. We monitor data around head injuries, tackle height, and concussion rigorously – and transparently. If evidence ever indicated this trial posed greater risk, we would end it immediately.” 

The Council also approved a measure so that from 2025, all law trials in the men’s game will begin on August 1 each year, ensuring that all international matches are played under the same set of law and trials regardless of where in the world they are played.

Meanwhile, the draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup will take place next December. With World Rugby rankings set to determine how teams are seeded in the draw, Ireland's autumn internationals against New Zealand, Japan, Australia, and South Africa will have a bearing on their draw placing - as well as the summer fixtures with Georgia and Portugal.

Elsewhere, the Barbarians have announced that Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray will feature in the June 28th meeting with South Africa in Cape Town.