Paris (AFP)
World Rugby has recommended ten experimental changes to its rules, "designed to help member federations reduce the risk of transmitting Covid-19, if necessary," said the governing body of world rugby on Thursday.
These "optional and temporary" measures, specifies World Rugby, aim to limit contact between players and "would reduce the time of exposure to a risk of transmission by more than 30% in melee, up to 25% in a ruck and up to 50% in a maul ", adds the international organization.
In a document published Thursday, World Rugby therefore proposes to "remove the option of replaying the scrum when no offense is committed" but also the obligation for hookers to put one foot forward, "a brake foot" , to help stabilize the melee. There would also be no scrum for a penalty or a free kick while the ball is played by hand, and no more on a scrum, "when an attacker is blocked or forwards in the in order".
In terms of tackles, World Rugby wants to introduce an orange card (15 minutes of temporary exclusion instead of 10) for high tackles and prohibit blocking tackles.
In the rucks, the body suggests reducing the time for the ball to be released from 5 to 3 seconds or not granting a scrum to sanction an exit that is too slow.
Finally, no player can join a maul if he was not in the maul at the start. These mauls, precisely, are limited to one advance per maul.
In addition, World Rugby recommends a certain number of hygiene measures including "compulsory hand and face washing before and after the match", "regular disinfection of the ball before, during and after the matches", "use bottles of water and hydration specific to each user "," change of jerseys, shorts and helmets at break, if possible "as well as a limitation of celebrations, sputum and other nose clearances.
© 2020 AFP