"Please no" - RFU back controversial new red card law

The proposed 20-minute red card law, which is being used in Super Rugby Pacific in Australia and New Zealand, allows a player who has been sent off to be replaced by a substitute after 20 minutes.

Popular former referee Nigel Owens is not a fan of the proposed change

He said: "I think as coaches and players, if you knew you were going to be playing a game for 79 minutes with 14 men, you’re going to want to get this message across to your players much more to not to let this happen.

"Whereas if you knew you were only going to be playing 20 minutes with 14 men, because for the next 60 minutes you know you’ll be back up to the full 15 (if they introduced the 20-minute red card), then maybe you won’t be pressing that message home as much.?

The Welshman has instead singled out four other changes to improve rugby.

Although happy with the recently introduced 50:22 and brake foot laws, Owens isn't happy with one recent change.

“The goal-line drop-out when you touch down inside your own in-goal area actually means you have to give the ball back to the team that has kicked beyond the goal line.

“I think we might see more kicking because the goal line drop out is more of a disadvantage to the defending team - we should go back to 22m drop-outs.

“It was designed to stop teams trying to bludgeon over the ball and force repeated 5m scrums but it hasn’t had any positive impact.”

Owens wrote in his column for The Telegraph: "Some of the scrum-feeds from both sides - particularly in the second half by Cobus Reinach - were beyond a joke.

"I must say that I have been as guilty of not giving enough free-kicks for crooked feeds as any referee, but it has to be stopped as soon as possible now. Scrum-halves simply have to put the ball into scrums in an acceptable manner.

"Everyone you speak to about it wants feeds to be straight. Brian Moore has been making the point for years and I agree with him. Everyone comments on it, and there is no excuse. It has been allowed to creep in, after a brief crackdown a couple of years ago."

Owens wrote: "We should aim for good performances that facilitate good games. In my opinion, perfect has become the enemy of the good because people are striving for a standard that is unachievable. A frustrating over-reliance on the TMO is one result of this fear of getting things wrong.

"Pressure is being exerted on referees by spectators, social media users, coaches, players, performance reviewers and referee managers. That is a lot of people scrutinising everything. I think we need to take a step back and make sure we pick up the things that matter."

Owens, who would like to see the number of replacements reduced from eight to four our five, previously said: "This is something I have been saying for a long time.

"Every question and answer session I do I am always asked which law I would like to change and I always say I would like to see the substitution law changed.

"We as referees and referee managers in World Rugby, we're always looking at things that need to be applied firmer, which contributes to the safety of the game and that is an ongoing process

"It is a physical game and unless you change it beyond total recognition of what the sport is, you are going to have to accept that there is going to be a risk of injury, but a minimal risk if you compare it to people that are injured everyday in walking about doing nothing."