The World Rugby Executive Committee acting in accordance with the World Rugby Byelaws have agreed to approve the following Global Law Trials for implementation for competitions commencing on or after August 1, 2021:

• 50:22: If the team in possession kicks the ball from their own half indirectly into touch inside their opponents’ 22, they will throw into the resultant lineout. The ball cannot be passed or carried back into the defensive half for the 50:22 to be played. The phase must originate inside the defensive half.
• Goal line drop-out: If the ball is held up in-goal, there is a knock-on from an attacking player in in-goal or an attacking kick is grounded by the defenders in their own in-goal, then play restarts with a goal line drop-out anywhere along the goal line.
• Flying Wedge: To sanction the three-person pre-bound mini-scrum by redefining the flying wedge.
• 1 man latch: To recognise the potential for 1-player pre-latching prior to contact, but this player must observe all of the requirements for a first arriving player, particularly the need to stay on their feet.
• Cleanout and safety of the Jackler: To introduce a sanction for clean outs which target or drop weight onto the lower limbs.

An in-depth explanation is available at: https://www.world.rugby/the-game/laws/global-law-trials which includes details of the trial, the intention, links to trial law, and video examples.

World Rugby has also approved a SANZAAR request to use the 20-minute Red Card law trial in Rugby Championship 2021 (and Bledisloe Cup matches).

• If a player is red-carded, they may be replaced after 20 minutes by another player. The 20 minutes from when a player is red-carded to when they may be replaced is measured as “game time”. This follows the same measurement of time already in place for a yellow-carded player in the sin bin (mean sin bin clock is stopped when the game clock is stopped).
• A player receives a yellow card and is sin-binned for 10 minutes. If the same player, then returns to the field after serving their 10 mins suspension and subsequently receives a second yellow card, which equates to an automatic red card. After a further 20 mins the red-carded player can be replaced.
• A player who has been tactically replaced is able to return to the field to replace a red-carded player. 
• Any red carded player cannot return under any circumstance.