New rugby laws proposed to finally end major issue and increase match squads

These proposals will see fewer replacements and reduced time for kicks at goal - with the 20-minute red card unlikely to feature

French rugby bosses are expected to present a raft of potential law changes to World Rugby in order to speed up the game.

The proposed amendments include the introduction of a 30-second clock to speed up the setting up of scrums - an issue that has plagued the game and frustrated spectators for years, as well as a reduction of time allowed for kicks at goal. Currently, that stands at 90 seconds for conversions and 60 seconds for penalties.

The proposed changes would also see the clock stopped after a try or conversion until the next kick-off to reduce time-wasting. Matchday squads of 25, rather than 23, but with reduced replacements of just six - rather than eight - are also likely to be proposed.

The French Rugby Federation is also firmly against the 20-minute red card, which has been trialled in the Rugby Championship.

France's governing body held a pre-season meeting with coaches from the country's top two leagues - the Top 14 and Pro D2 - where changes were discussed. Former Test referees Romain Poite and Mathieu Raynal have both taken up new roles as joint-chiefs of the French referees and are driving these changes.

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The finalised proposals will be presented to World Rugby before the end of the current season.

“In the Top 14 we have around 34 minutes of ball-in-play time,” Raynal said. “It’s not enough for entertainment, for the show. We need more.

“There are a lot of ideas coming from the coaches. For example, a 30-second shot clock for scrums, or ‘money time’ in the last 10 minutes like basketball (where all the best players are on the court), or the number of replacements. Maybe, for example, you could have 25 players on a team sheet, but you can only use six replacements.

“We think if you’re more tired on the pitch, then you will have more space, a greater spectacle and more tries. We must not forget that when you have a lot of tries in the game you have low ball in play as it takes a lot of time to score the try, and take conversions. Another proposal, therefore, is to stop the time after a try, or conversion, until the ball is back in play from the kick-off. There are a lot of things on the table.

“In the next few months we’ll make those proposals to World Rugby.”

Raynal also reiterated that French rugby bosses remain against 20-minute red card experiment, which has been used in this year's Rugby Championship.

“We are not in favour of that, in the French union and I think in Europe it’s the same,” Raynal added. “For us, in France, it’s not necessary. It’s not a good signal for us against foul play. We don’t believe it will solve any problems. We are happy with the red card. If someone on the pitch does something really bad, they must receive a red card.”