NRL one referee blueprint revealed with players facing automatic sin bin for ruck penalty
Just exactly how will the NRL rule changes work? Find out here after The Daily Telegraph obtained the NRL’s edict sent to clubs on Friday.
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Players will be automatically sin-binned if they give a ruck penalty away and the bunker will increase its monitoring of the play the ball in sweeping new changes ahead of the NRL’s return on May 28.
The Saturday Telegraph has obtained the new rules issued to all clubs on Friday detailing how the game will function with just one referee and the introduction of a six-again verbal restart instead of a penalty.
The “six again procedure” outlined a raft of changes after referee’s boss Bernie Sutton spent the past two days detailing the amendments.
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Among the biggest changes include;
– A ruck infringement will result in six again except for professional fouls, repeated infringements, where play has broken down. A full penalty can be blown in those instances.
– A professional foul or repeated infringement penalty will result in automatic sin bin.
– The referee will control the 10 metres with the assistance of an open side touch judge.
– Touch judge nearest the ruck will assist with monitoring the play the ball and is able to step onto the field.
– There will be a ruck spotter in the bunker who will assist the referee during breaks in play.
– If the referee decides a player while in possession deliberately breaks down play to milk a six again call into a full penalty the referee will order a scrum and hand possession to the defending team.
The six-again rule covers off holding down in a tackle, hand on the ball, crowding and leg pulls. The likes of grapples, facials and chicken wings will continue to be penalised and punished in the traditional way.
The documents also states in “a full penalty for a professional foul or repeated infringements, the offending player will be sent to the sin bin”.
“A repeated infringement scenario may arise where multiple six again restarts have been awarded and harsher action is requited”.
Teams do not have to be warned before the sin bin is used.
Markers not square will remain a penalty so too if an attacking player incorrectly plays the ball.
Dragons coach Paul McGregor was against the changes but said they could favour his side.
“In 2008 when they changed from the one referee to two it was around the demands of the pace of the game being too hard for the one referee,” McGregor said. “Twelve years later we change it back to one referee. Is it the right timing? That’s questionable. The other rule change with the six to go, compliments the one referee where he can call it on the run and keep the game flowing.
“It will help us. Selfishly, if you look at the Dragons we give the least amount of penalties away in holding down. For us it’s good, for the game I’m not sure the timing is right.”