World Rugby has published a video explaining the Foul Play Review process that is being trialled in The Rugby Championship and Summer Nations Series following implementation at the U20 Championship.
The video, which can be viewed here, features World Rugby Television Match Official Manager, Stuart Berry and outlines how a foul play incident can be referred for a review while a player is in the sin bin.
Why is it being implemented?
Commonly known as ‘The Bunker’, the Foul Play Review process is a result of the recent Shape of the Game process, supporting the key aim of assisting match officials make accurate decisions, while promoting game continuity by reducing stoppage time.
How does it work?
Referees will remain the lead decision-maker during matches, but during the current trial they will have the ability to refer any foul play incident to the Foul Play Review Officer located in the ‘Bunker’ for formal review.
If the officiating team is unable to determine whether an incident warrants a red card after two-big screen replays but a minimum yellow card threshold is determined, the referee will cross their arms, signaling a formal review and the player will leave the field for 10 minutes as per the current sin-bin rules.
A dedicated Foul Play Review Officer will then have up to eight minutes to review the incident using all available footage and technology, including Hawk-Eye split screen and zoom technology, to determine the outcome.
The Foul Play Review Officer will then communicate the decision to the officials and the referee will either uphold the yellow card and enable the player to return or upgrade to a red card with the player staying off the field and unable to be replaced.
World Rugby will review the outcomes of the current trials before confirming the approach for Rugby World Cup 2023.