3. Reduce the bench to six replacements
Modern benches have transformed rugby.
Fresh international forwards weighing well over 120kg arriving after 50 minutes often dominate tiring opponents, making the final quarter more about impact replacements than the players who started the match.
Reducing the bench to six replacements would:
- reward fitness
- encourage more versatile players
- create more space late in matches
- lessen the influence of specialist “Bomb Squad” tactics
The best XV should decide the biggest games—not necessarily the strongest bench.
2. Put every TMO review on a shot clock
Technology has improved rugby.
But it shouldn’t bring matches to a standstill.
Fans don’t want to spend three minutes watching officials examine ten different camera angles for a marginal knock-on that happened five phases earlier.
Our proposal:
- Give the TMO 60 seconds.
- If there isn’t clear evidence within that time, stick with the referee’s on-field decision.
- Simple, quicker and far better for the flow of the game.
