Thuggery is no longer part of rugby – and that is why 20-minute red card trial is here

When it is so difficult to find consensus on the right decision it makes perfect sense to reduce the consequences of that decision

When I pulled out a red card in the Rugby World Cup final to inform the New Zealand team that their captain, Sam Cane, would not be returning to the pitch, I knew it would be a decision that would be associated with me and Sam for the rest of our lives. When Cane came onto the pitch to shake my hand immediately following the final whistle, I could already sense the hurt and anguish in his eyes.
The 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 red card in a men’s Rugby World Cup final 🟥New Zealand are down to 14 after Sam Cane sees red for this…#NZLvRSA | #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/Ya2V6YIAwx
Lydia Thompson, the Red Roses winger, who had a barnstorming tournament up until the final, was also sent off in the World Cup final for a dangerous tackle just 18 minutes in. She has since talked of feeling complete blame for the loss and explained that when she came back home to England, she switched off her phone, logged out of social media and threw a bag containing her World Cup memorabilia – including her silver medal – in the loft. It was too much for her.
“Clear head on head, it’s a reckless action… So it’s a red card” 🟥Game Changing decisions. #RedRoses down to 14.#RWC2021 #NZLVSENG pic.twitter.com/V9prMAAZMH
Add to those Rugby World Cup final red cards the 28th-minute dismissal of La Rochelle’s Levani Botia in the 2021 European Cup final, and the 21st minute exit for Beno Obano in last season’s Premiership final and you’ve got a pretty good sample size to show that these huge decisions are not just significant points in the game, but are also significant points in these players’ lives. As Cane put it immediately after the match in Paris, it would be a moment that he would have to “live with forever”.
Examples like those are one of the reasons why a 20-minute red card will be trialled during the Autumn Nations Series. Match officials will distinguish between deliberate acts of foul play and unintentional ones. No one who watched either World Cup final would say either Cane or Thompson intentionally tried to tackle their opponent high; they simply got their technique wrong, and were severely punished for that slight error in judgement. We are asking players to play the game at a higher speed than ever before, and under more fatigue, but we also ask them not to make mistakes more than ever.
For clarity, this is how it will work. If a referee decides an incident of foul play is so serious that a red card is required, but decides that the incident was not deliberate or intentional, then the offending player will be permanently removed from the match. But after 20 minutes that player will be replaced, and the team will be back to 15 players. It is still a substantial punishment, but 39 minutes less than Bath endured when Obano was red carded against Northampton at Twickenham, for example.
The men and women who make up the International Rugby Match Officials (IRMO) association were heavily involved in the discussions around the 20-minute red card and not only think that it has benefit for the players, but also for match officials, too.
Such critical decisions are rarely universally agreed upon. I have been part of calibration meetings where the great and good of the game have discussed foul play incidents after being given days to prepare for meetings to decide upon their views. These meetings include Joe Schmidt, Jacques Nienaber, Jamie Roberts and Ugo Monye to name just a few. Not a single clip has received unanimity as to what decision should be given. Yet people expect referees to get it ‘right’.
So if it is so hard to agree upon the ‘right’ decision, the law makers can reduce the impact of the decision. We all know that when people disagree with match officials – be it coaches, commentators or the general public – online abuse follows. Reducing the impact of the decision on a team, will hopefully reduce the likelihood of a social media pile-on that we have seen too often and I know from personal experience can be horrific.
Should this weekend’s game between England and New Zealand feature any foul play to rule upon, the match officials will have three different options: (i) a permanent red card, (ii) a 20-minute red card, (iii) a yellow card. Confusingly the permanent red card will be the same piece of plastic as the 20 minute red-card, so it will be still down to the big screen to assist the spectators in understanding which one of the cards has been brandished. I wonder how quickly a third coloured card will be introduced to help the confused spectator!
I wonder if there is a need for the permanent red card, as only deliberate acts of foul play, or thuggery, will receive a permanent red card. I believe, though, that real thuggery is a thing of the past. In my 111 Test matches, I cannot recall sending anyone off for an eye-gouge, a headbutt or running in from 20 metres to chin someone. I remember a few from my early days in Gloucestershire, but that was 25 years ago in the highly contested Forest of Dean Combination Cup. The game has changed.
The law makers must make it clear what a permanent red card should be given for, however, and they should give all referees and spectators a list of those offences. If a referee still has to decide whether a piece of foul play was deliberate or was with a high level of danger, the same postmortem will be held in TV studios and online across the globe. Trying to decide whether a player is attempting to wrap an arm in a tackle is extremely difficult, and should not be part of that list.
It is important to reemphasise that this is still a trial, and just like those calibration meetings, I am not sure there will be unanimity on the final decision to introduce a 20-minute red card beyond this Autumn Nations Series. There are some very different views on the proposals, and what such a law change may mean for players, match officials and fans. And all those views will have to be heard.
Kickers will be given the hurry-up at conversions this November, with the amount of time they are allowed to take a conversion reduced from 90 to 60 seconds. The shot clock will also be looming over the kicker from the stadium scoreboard, so no excuses for not knowing how long is left and 30 seconds more rugby for the paying spectator. It will also be interesting to see how much impact will be felt at line-out and scrum time with speeding up the set-up of both those set-pieces also part of the law trial.
Another fan-friendly trial I am delighted to see this autumn is the option for the referee to go ‘on mic’ to explain their decision or key moments for the benefit of those in stadiums. For too long, we have had a better fan experience at home on the sofa. This Saturday I am looking forward to hearing Angus Gardner’s Aussie twang boom across the Allianz Stadium’s PA system at Twickenham explaining a decision or two.
This year will be the first year since retiring that I will not be joining my colleagues for their annual London retreat ahead of the Autumn Nations Series (with this weekend’s matches technically outside the Test window). 
One huge benefit of retiring is that I have had the opportunity to watch a lot more of my kids’ sports over the past 12 months, both of whom have developed a huge passion for football. As someone who has not watched a lot of football, I must admit I have enjoyed the way the game continually flows and rarely stops. It does not excite me like a game of rugby does, and I long for the day when either my son or daughter says ‘Dad, I’d love to give rugby another go!’, but I do love the continuity of the round-ball game.
So when the international match officials meet to discuss the learnings of the Rugby Championship and decide if any aspect of the game needs a sharper focus, I hope that the referee selectors – led by the Frenchman, Joël Jutge – encourage the referees to take a more ‘football’ approach and let the game flow. 
The game is still crying out for fewer stoppages and for more attacking rugby, and as we saw in Dunedin and Auckland, this weekend we have two teams who can deliver an entertaining game if they are given the opportunity.