SAFETY

LAW
AMENDMENTS

LAW 10 - FOUL PLAY

1(b) Obstruction
Amend:
Running in front of a ball carrier. A player must not voluntarily move or stand in front of a team-mate carrying the ball thereby preventing opponents from tackling the current ball-carrier or the opportunity to tackle potential ball-carriers when they gain possession.
Amend to read:
2(a) Voluntary Offending. A player must not voluntarily infringe any Law of the Game, or play unfairly.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
A penalty try must be awarded if the offence prevents a try that would probably otherwise have been scored. The player who voluntarily offends must be either admonished, or cautioned that a send-off will result if the offence or a similar offence is committed, or sent off. After a caution a player is temporarily suspended from the match for a period of ten minutes. After a caution, if the player commits the same or similar offence, the player must be sent off.
3(b) Repeated Infringements. The problem of repeated infringements usually arises with the scrum, line-out, off-side, ruck, maul or tackle laws. A player penalised for several infringements of any law is cautioned and temporarily suspended from the match for a period of ten minutes. If the player repeats the offence the player is sent off.
3(c) Repeated infringements by the team. When different players of the same team repeatedly commit the same offence, the referee must decide whether or not this amounts to repeated infringement. If it does, the referee gives a general warning to the team and if they then repeat the offence, the referee cautions and temporarily suspends the guilty player(s) for a period of ten minutes. If a player of that same team then repeats the offence the referee sends off the guilty player(s).
Penalty: Penalty Kick
4(k) Acts contrary to good sportsmanship. A player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship in the playing enclosure.
The player who commits an act of dangerous play or misconduct must either be admonished, or cautioned that a send-off will result if the offence or a similar offence is committed, or sent off. After a caution a player is temporarily suspended from the match for a period of ten minutes. After a caution, if the player commits the same or similar offence, the player must be sent off.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
4. Dangerous Play and Misconduct
Amend 4(i) 3rd paragraph
Players must not charge into a ruck or maul without binding onto a player in the ruck or maul.
Add new 5;
5. Sanctions
(a) Any player who infringes any part of the Foul Play Law must be admonished, or cautioned and temporarily suspended or sent off.
(b) A player who has been cautioned and temporarily suspended who then commits a second cautionable offence within the Foul Play Law must be sent off.
Re-number 5 as 6, 6 as 7.
6. Yellow and Red Cards
Amend to read:
(a) When a player has been cautioned and temporarily suspended in an international match the referee will show that player a yellow card.
(b) When a player has been sent off in an international match, the referee will show that player a red card
(c) For other matches the Match Organiser or Union having jurisdiction over the match may decide upon the use of yellow and red cards.