20/40 kick to be introduced in the NRL

The NRL have announced that a 20/40 kick will come into play, with a range of rule changes for the 2020 season.

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and head of football elite competitions Graham Annesley announced the changes after the moves were approved by the ARL Commission.

The 20/40 kick will also work in similar fashion to the existing 40/20 rule in that a team in possession will earn another set if they kick the ball from within their own 20 metres into the opposition’s 40 metre zone, rewarding accurate kicks.

There will be an introduction of a general-play “challenge” system, with a final report to be provided in February.

There is also a scrum rule change, with the team feeding the ball having the option of setting the scrum in three locations – 10 or 20 metres from the sideline or in the centre of the field. Teams will be given just five seconds to inform the referee of their choice of scrum position.

Following the controversial decision – whilst 100 percent correct – against the Canberra Raiders in the 2019 NRL Grand Final, which saw a charged-down kick hitting Sydney Roosters’s trainer, and the latter awarded a fresh set of six, there has been a rule change.

Under the new rule, when the ball strikes a trainer or the referee, the official will be able to replay the previous play-the-ball in the event of playing being irregularly affected.

The act of tackling a player in mid-air will be banned whether the player initiating contact is the attacking player or the defending player, in line with the current international laws of the game.

Additionally, the Commission also agreed that limitation should be placed on the time orange and blue shirt trainers could spend on the field – with a further decision to be confirmed.