Optional Community Law Changes

World Rugby introduces radical law changes, including weight-banded matches.

30th November 2021

Welfare and accessibility are at the heart of Game On Global, a groundbreaking programme of optional community law variations launched by World Rugby and national member unions today.

• Modified contact, weight-banded matches and lowered tackle height at the heart of new community law variations to further advance accessibility and welfare

• Law variations include flexibility in number of players, game duration, pitch size, ball size, as well as variations to scrums, lineouts and kicking rules

• Promoting global consistency at the community level of the game, the menu of 10 law variants can be implemented by national unions from January 2022

• The introduction of Game On Global follows World Rugby’s recently launched participation plan to accelerate sustainable rugby involvement

• Implementation of the law variations will be optional and available in part or in whole for National Unions to determine.

• Central monitoring, and research will be undertaken evaluate impact

Promoting global consistency in the law variations open to unions at the community level of the game, a menu of 10 law variants are now available to all unions. From January 2022 the Game On principles can be utilised by all World Rugby member unions at their discretion: Implementation of the law variations will be centrally monitored, and a global research project will provide an evaluation of the impacts in terms of injury-prevention and overall participation impact. They were developed by the Community Laws Flexibility Working Group* which was set up in November 2020, following a World Rugby survey in relation to law trials that received more than 1,800 respondents, reflecting World Rugby’s mission to engage with the rugby family.