New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson hopeful of red card changes, coy on tackle height reduction

Wayne Barnes sending All Blacks captain Sam Cane off in last year's Rugby World Cup 2023 final against South Africa in France. Photo / Photosport

Three years after the 20-minute red card was first ushered into the South Hemisphere, New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson is hopeful it will soon be adopted throughout the international arena as the global game attempts to embrace a more attractive, enticing product.

The prospect of lowering the tackle height in the elite game does, however, evoke a much more lukewarm response.

Robinson recently returned from a series of week-long World Rugby meetings in London where general agreement was reached to speed up the game and minimise stoppages.

“We felt these were some of the most critical meetings in a World Rugby context for many, many years,” Robinson said. “We’re really heartened by the way national unions showed up in those forums. Provided we can continue to have these conversations more regularly, it was a positive start.”

One major point of contention to emerge from the meetings is whether the tackle height should be lowered to the sternum in the elite game.

A World Rugby working group will consider the findings from trials in 11 unions, including New Zealand, and consider the “appropriateness” of extending the change to the professional game.

The push to lower the tackle height is predicated on safety, but the discussion is highly polarising as it challenges the fabric of the game.

New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson. Photo / Photosport

At this stage, Robinson is reluctant to take a stance.

“As it relates to the professional game, that needs more time and work,” Robinson said. “In the community game, it’s revealed some initial positive results. But this is one area there’s a need to understand, because of the fast-moving nature of the game, the potential challenges of how we officiate it [and] the physicality and difference in athletes from community to professional. It’s something we need more time with.

“There’s a sense of urgency now that if we’re going to trial anything, we need to be moving quickly and developing data to make informed decisions. I’m not sure about the exact timeframe. We need competitions to come forward and want to trial this.”

The Sanzaar push for the 20-minute red card, after its successful use in Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship, will come to a head with a 75 per cent majority required from the World Rugby council for it to be introduced to the full test scene.

Replacing a red-carded player after the allotted time gained further traction after rugby’s pinnacle events, the men’s and women’s World Cup finals, were compromised with England’s Lydia Thompson and All Blacks captain Sam Cane sent from the field in the first half of their respective losses.

New Zealand captain Sam Cane with referee Wayne Barnes after his red card in the Rugby World Cup final. Photo / Getty Images

In a bid to offset concerns of diminishing punishments, the potential red card change coincides with a disciplinary review that could impose stronger off-field suspensions for foul play.

There are, however, no guarantees the 20-minute red card will pass into law, with resistance remaining in the north.

“We’re really pleased it’s going to be voted on and we’re hopeful it will be approved,” Robinson said. “The overriding sentiment in the room was positive.

“There’s always contrasting views on major matters but, by and large, there’s an acknowledgement that what we’re seeing through three years of work through the Rugby Championship and Super Rugby that this could be a really positive development for the game and a nod to acknowledging we’re listening to fans.

“We want to make sure red card scenarios we’ve seen in recent times don’t limit the nature of the competition.”

Robinson downplayed the traditional north-south divide but the May 9 vote on the 20-minute red card will offer a clear indication of whether the hemispheres are any closer to aligning.

“Everyone goes into those meetings with slightly different views. That comes from their own environments but everyone realises this is a critical juncture to take clear steps to grow the game. There’s always this stereotype about north and south but I don’t think it exists to nearly the same degree as it did historically. There’s a more common understanding between national unions,” Robinson said.

“We all acknowledge that to work through into new, emerging markets like North America or Asia, the game must be attractive and more easily understood.

“At the community level, people have to love the game they’re playing too. All the feedback is clear around the need to be fast-moving, safe, easily understood.”

Assessing rugby’s eight allocated replacements - and when they can be introduced with a view to generating more fatigue to create more space - is also on the agenda.

This may have been prompted by the Springboks’ radical move to employ seven forwards and one back reserve last year, which sparked consternation from the northern nations in particular.

“Personally I don’t have a strong view,” Robinson said. “I’m more focused on creating greater entertainment and uncertainty of results, which happens when you bring in the fatigue element. Increasing the tempo is positive in that regard. Some of the changes will help bring that forward. We’re seeing it in Super Rugby. We saw it in the last couple of rounds of the Six Nations as well.

“It will need a working group to see what the possible options are but we’re open-minded to it.”

The proposed changes Robinson references involve World Rugby following Super Rugby’s lead by significantly reducing TMO interference, tweaking the offside rule to minimise kick tennis and attempting to promote a fast, free-flowing game.

These changes have translated to a ratings boost in New Zealand, with Super Rugby Pacific’s fourth round attracting 25 per cent more viewers than last year.

“That goes to what we’re saying about when you get the on-field product right, we can create growth in the game. We need to keep evolving and be open to that change,” Robinson said.

“Our officials have been outstanding through the first five rounds in terms of keeping the flow of the games going. We’re seeing the benefits of that with the quality of the product. The overriding sentiment of fans is they want to see more tempo and less intervention, less slowing down. We want accuracy but we want it to keep moving.

“We’d like to see that continue to be considered on a global stage.”

Other proposed World Rugby changes include staging trials for shot clocks from scrums and lineouts; marking the ball inside the 22-metre line from a restart, compulsory use of the ball from a maul when it stops once, and playing on from a crooked lineout if the throw is uncontested.