Former head of Irish referees Owen Doyle has issued a strong warning to World Rugby, saying that recent law changes driven largely by the Southern Hemisphere risk damaging the sport and could even undermine the integrity of the Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.
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His comments come as World Rugby chair Brett Robinson confirmed that more law trials are likely to take place next year, ahead of the tournament. These discussions will form part of the shape of the game conference scheduled for February.
Where administrators, coaches, and officials will again debate how rugby should evolve. Since the 2023 World Cup in France, the sport has already seen a wide range of adjustments to laws and officiating. Many of them aimed at making matches more entertaining.
However, Robinson acknowledged that there remains a deep divide between the northern. And the southern hemisphere, when it comes to how the game should be played and governed. Speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast with Eddie Jones and David Pembroke.
Robinson said World Rugby carried out extensive consultation after the France tournament, including fan research. To identify what supporters found most frustrating. The big issues were too much aimless kicking, laws and game management that didn’t encourage teams to attack, and far too much dead time, Robinson explained.
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Rugby World Cup: World Rugby Admits Law Changes Still Falling Short
Since 2023, we’ve made progress in some areas, but in others we still haven’t gone far enough. He pointed to changes such as stricter shot clocks and efforts to remove what he called dumb and senseless actions. Including penalizing lineout throws that are not straight when there is no genuine contest.
Robinson also highlighted the introduction of the 20-minute red card. A move that proved controversial, particularly in the northern hemisphere. That one took a lot longer to get through because some of our friends in the north needed more time to understand it, he said.
Robinson also revealed that World Rugby will commission an independent review into the role of Television Match Officials. Examining how much power and influence TMOs currently have and whether that balance is right for the game.
Doyle, however, is deeply concerned about the direction rugby is heading, especially around changes to the lineout. Writing in his Irish Times column, he criticised what he sees as a dangerous loosening of laws and warned. That rugby union could start to resemble rugby league if Southern Hemisphere proposals continue to gain traction.
In particular, Doyle proposed a proposal that would only penalise crooked lineout throws if the defending team puts up a contesting jumper. He described the idea as nonsensical and said it threatens one of rugby’s core skills.
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Rugby World Cup Final: Doyle Urges Protection of Rugby’s Core Skills
The lineout proposal has been pushed to the global trial level, but it can still be stopped, Doyle wrote. People who care about the game should be demanding that rugby’s coordinated skills of throwing, lifting, and catching remain central. Instead, he argued, fans are seeing too many crooked throws, fewer genuine contests, and illegal formations.
And mauls that are effectively unstoppable once they form. For Doyle, this represents a steady erosion of what makes rugby union unique. He also criticized northern hemisphere unions for lacking the organization and elite laws knowledge needed to properly assess the long-term impact of these changes.
According to Doyle, every proposal should be rigorously examined before being accepted, something he believes is not happening consistently enough. The northern unions don’t appear to be properly organised, he said. Each one needs a knowledgeable, elite laws group working closely with the Six Nations. That structure is essential.
Doyle pointed to 2009, when several experimental laws proposed by the Southern Hemisphere were rejected at the last minute. As an example of why strong scrutiny matters. He stressed that such debates should never be framed as north versus south, but rather as decisions about what is best for the future of the sport.
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