With the World Cup in Australia getting closer, Rugby World Cup 2027 knows any changes to the laws must be finalised by the start of the new Nations Championship in July 2026. Since the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, the governing body has already introduced a series of changes aimed at speeding up the game and making it more appealing for fans.
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These include shot clocks for scrums, lineouts, and goal-kicks, the removal of scrum options from free-kicks. And the introduction of the 20-minute red card. World Rugby chair Brett Robinson, who took over from Sir Bill Beaumont. Believes progress has been made but accepts there are still major issues to solve. Speaking on the Rugby World Cup Unity podcast with Eddie Jones and David Pembroke.
Robinson said the sport has long struggled to focus on the right priorities. We play a big role in working with our members to create a better product, Robinson said. If you look back over the last 150 years, it hasn’t just been a bit of grit in the gears; the game has often been clunky, and it’s needed a lot of oil to help us focus on what really matters.
Robinson explained that after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Rugby World Cup 2027 spent time listening to supporters and reviewing research into what fans found most frustrating. Three issues stood out: too much aimless kicking, laws and refereeing that discouraged attacking play, and excessive dead time during matches.
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Rugby World Cup: Wrestles with Change Ahead of Key Review
Since 2023, we’ve made progress in some areas, but not in others, he said. We’ve brought in shot clocks, and we’re trying to eliminate silly or pointless actions, like penalising a not-straight lineout throw when there’s no contest. He admitted the introduction of the 20-minute red card was particularly difficult. That one took longer than we would have liked.
Mainly because some of our colleagues in the northern hemisphere needed more time to understand how it would work, he said. There have definitely been some wins, but there are still some fundamental challenges. One of those challenges, Robinson said, is the divide between the northern and southern hemispheres when it comes to innovation.
He praised Australia and New Zealand for being open to experimenting with new ideas in the Super Rugby World Cup Pacific, while suggesting competitions in the north are often more cautious. The role of the Television Match Official (TMO) is one area where these differences have been especially clear. Earlier this year, we saw very different views from the north and south about how the TMO should be used, Robinson said.
He acknowledged that some of the recent trials involving the TMO have not been successful. We don’t think they’re working, so we’ve accepted that and decided to review them over the Christmas period, ahead of the shape of the game conference early next year, he said. To be fair, the Super Rugby World Cup is also trialling new TMO protocols.
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Rugby World Cup Final: Acts After TMO Backlash
Fans and pundits grew increasingly frustrated in November with long TMO reviews, the use of the Foul Play Review Bunker, and the frequency of full red cards. In response, the Rugby World Cup Final has commissioned an independent review into the role of match officials beyond the referee, including the TMO and fourth official. That review will be chaired by outgoing New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson.
According to Brett Robinson, the central principle must be that the referee remains in charge of the game. The referee managing the game and making the key decisions has to come first, he said. I don’t think that’s always been the case this year, and that’s created confusion and frustration about who is really in control. He stressed that time is now tight. We’re heading towards 2027.
And by June or July next year, we need to have everything locked in. If changes aren’t made by then, we’re too close to the Rugby World Cup Final to do anything meaningful. Robinson confirmed the review findings will feed into the Rugby World Cup shape of the game meeting in February, to make any final adjustments before the mid-year internationals. If we want these changes in place for the World Cup, this is our window, he said.
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