Matt Williams: Glacial pace of reform of laws shows oligarchs remain in control of World Rugby
November’s conclave of the law-making body has proved a failure, most of the badly-needed reforms had been quashed
World Rugby
Owen Doyle: Steven Kitshoff’s close call shows scrum laws need to change
New global law trials lack suggestions to improve what has proven to be a disastrous phase of the game
Four Lions revealed to be part of group suing rugby authorities over brain injuries
Lawyers withdraw anonymity application for 43 players
Erin King named World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year
Springboks’ Pieter-Steph Du Toit pips Caelen Dorris for Men’s Player of the Year award
To contest or not to contest? That is the question for Ireland’s aerial game
Performance under the high ball likely to be tested against Fiji and outcome sure to be instructive
Australia’s Brett Robinson elected chairman of World Rugby
Robinson is the first permanent chairman of the global governing body from the southern hemisphere
Rugby is crying out for fresh global vision in crucial leadership vote
Whoever succeeds Bill Beaumont at World Rugby will have bulging in-tray with 20-minute red card fallout on agenda
Conrad Smith says limiting player workload is critical to reducing head injuries in rugby
Head of player welfare and performance in International Rugby Players’ association whether it’s a red card or a 20-minute red card you are still going to have the same number of concussions and head impact events
Owen Doyle: Video nasties required to show just what merits a red card
Forget words, written or spoken; visuals are needed – clear, unambiguous video clips of what foul play gets what punishment
Twenty-minute red card undermines World Rugby’s campaign to make the game safer
At a time when rugby was starting to win the battle it is in danger of losing the war
IRFU ‘still considering’ position on 20-minute red card proposal
World Rugby proposal has been strongly opposed by a combination of ruling and player bodies in France
Gerry Thornley: Italian rugby making tangible strides despite many obstacles at home and abroad
With friends like World Rugby and the EPCR, Italian rugby needs few enemies – but imagine what a World Cup in Italy would do for the sport in that country?
Owen Doyle: World Rugby needs to stick to its guns with no replacement red cards for ‘aggravated foul play’
World governing body’s new proposals could allow a replacement for Cane-like incidents while remaining utterly unforgiving of hard shoulders to the head and similar foul play
Matt Williams: Rugby’s failure to remain tech-savvy is a blight on the sport
Ball-tracking is just one technology that could help referees and TMOs get key calls right
Rugby World Cup to expand to 24 teams for 2027
Ireland has already qualified for the tournament, which will be staged in Australia
Matt Williams: Hard to be confident World Rugby will soon grasp nettle of scrum law reform
Matt Williams: The root cause of low ball-in-play time in matches can be traced back to the current scrum laws presided over by rugby’s governing authorities
Sam Berman hat-trick leads Ireland Under-20s to convincing victory over Italy in opener
Willie Faloon’s side run in eight tries against a side that had run them close in the Six Nations
Matt Williams: French Top 14 fast becoming what English Premier League is to soccer
If a solution is not soon found to create a feasible global club calendar, Australian rugby may soon face an era of irreversible decline
Matt Williams: New law proposals are a gross failure of stewardship from World Rugby
If scrums and mauls are what excite you most about rugby, the good times are set to carry on rolling. The rest of us may suffer
The Counter Ruck: Rugby’s new laws explained with Owen Doyle
The Counter Ruck podcast: A number of trials will be run over the summer by World Rugby
Owen Doyle: Let’s stop the law tinkering – safety issues apart
Owen Doyle: World Rugby proposals remain a work in progress but still not strong enough to discourage serious foul play
The Offload: Former props unimpressed by proposed law changes
Former Ireland internationals voice their disapproval at the fact that it will no longer be possible to choose to scrum from a free kick
Matt Williams: Time to refine current red card laws in the interests of rugby justice
World Rugby to consider a proposal to globally trial a new variation of red card laws successfully implemented in Super Rugby
A rugby match where 30 forwards take to the pitch is not a good thing for the game
The 6-2 split has become normalised with forward power from the bench winning over coaches
When it comes to the 20-minute red card replacement, World Rugby should play it safe
The ugly side of rugby has not gone away, and the deterrent of a straight red card should not be diluted
First ever brain health service for rugby players launched in Ireland
Ireland is the first country to launch the service for male and female players who have concerns about their brain and mental health
Proposed changes confronting World Rugby could have transformative impact
Constant revisions of and amendments to the game’s laws are product of coaches finding ways to bend them to their advantage
Owen Doyle: Severe brain damage is the elephant in the room for World Rugby
A fundamental need exists for World Rugby to rid the game of danger
World Rugby reveals radical plans to speed up sport and broaden its appeal
World Rugby considering reducing tackle height at elite level and introducing a trial of the 20-minute red card
Owen Doyle: World Rugby must be aware of unintended consequences in law trials
Antidote to end scourge of kick tennis goes on trial in Super Rugby Pacific
Player welfare the prime motivator behind World Rugby’s tackle height trials
Science tells us to reduce head impacts and that upright tackles with heads in the same airspace pose the greatest risk of concussion
Matt Williams: New tackle line could radically change how rugby is played
World Rugby’s curious lack of action appears to have forced individual national bodies to act, with what has been until now great haste and little thought
Johnny Watterson: Diluting of red card punishment sends out wrong message
Current trial that allows a replacement for a sent off after 20 minutes is wrong-headed and dangerous.
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