NRL to trial captain’s challenge

The NRL will give a ‘captain’s challenge’ to the match officials a trial run in the Dragons versus Knights clash this weekend.

The new initiative will also be used in the forthcoming NYC finals.

The rules will allow captains to challenge one decision per game in relation to tries being scored.

The referee will make a decision on the field, and it will only be reviewed by ‘the bunker’ if a challenge is made.

Each team is only allowed on incorrect challenge per half, but if their challenges prove to be correct, there is no limit on the number of challenges to be made.

An additional challenge will be allowed in the final 5 minutes of the game and in golden point.

The NRL had considered trialling the move before, but was waiting for technology to be refined to a suitable point where it was practical.

“The bunker gives us the opportunity to trial the captain’s challenge with state of the art technology to help determine whether a try has been scored,” NRL CEO Todd Greenberg told NRL.com.

“We will assess the trial to determine if there is scope to use the captain’s challenge more widely in the future.”

How the Captain’s Challenge will work:

– Can only be used to challenge a try or no-try ruling

– Captains will have 20 seconds following a try/no-try decision to challenge the decision.

– No replays either at normal speed or in slow motion, will be shown on a big screen at the ground until the time allowed for requesting of a captain’s challenge has elapsed.

– A captain may request a review of any try/point-scoring decision made by an on-field official in relation to: groundings, knock-ons, obstruction, double movement, offside, touchline /touch-in-goal/dead-in-goal, tackle in the air, steals involving two or more defenders, foul play, as well as goals and field goals.