World Cup 9s to debut 20-40 rule in October
The 20-40 rule will be introduced at this autumn’s World Cup 9s tournament in Sydney.
The World Cup takes place over the weekend of 18-19 October at Parramatta’s Bankwest Stadium.
The traditional 40-20 rule will still stand and teams will be rewarded with an attacking scrum feed as normal.
And now teams will be able to reap the same reward with a long kick from inside their own 20 if it bounces out beyond their opponent’s 40.
If the rule is a success at the World Cup 9s, NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg admitted the league would consider bringing it into the NRL competition.
He told NRL.com: “It’s something I’m sure the competition committee could look at.
“I think it’s got a particular variable here for Nines footy.
“The concept is if you’re pinned in your own 20 and you’ve got the ability to take a risk, you get a significant reward.
“It will be interesting to see how much of it is utilised and the preparedness of the players to take those risks.”
As well as the new 20-40 rule, there will be a 25-second shot clock on drop-kicked conversions. Golden Try will be played in the event of a match drawn after regular time.
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