What is a 20-minute red card? How new rugby law will work during Autumn Nations Series

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The 2024 Autumn Nations Series will see the 20-minute red card trialled for the first time in senior international northern hemisphere rugby as the sport’s authorities try to improve the spectacle for fans and simplify key areas of the game. In the Autumn Nations Series, referees will have the option to award a 20-minute red card for technical offences. Six Nations Rugby say they are “driven by a game-wide commitment to enhance the spectacle for fans, alongside the ambition to simplify the game in key areas, whilst continuing to ensure player safety and welfare standards remain paramount.” With a number of blockbuster matches, including the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, being impacted by borderline red cards, ensuring the game can be played as 15 vs 15 for as much of the 80 minutes as possible has been a driving force. Upon news of the trail being introduced for the autumn, the IRFU released a statement detailing their opposition to it, saying: “Player welfare and safety are paramount to the core values of the game and the option of a permanent red card for deliberate and intentional acts of foul play supports those values and protects the integrity of the game.” There was also vehement oppositon from France, where a joint statement from the French federation, the National Rugby League and the players’ union described the proposal as an “unacceptable step backwards” and insisted that the data collected remains “insufficient”.