The Welsh Rugby Union is piloting a new breakdown sanctioning protocol in the Welsh Premiership
18 October 2026
The pilot marks a further step by the WRU in embedding player welfare at the top of its agenda. It comes as the Welsh Premiership is being reformatted into a new 10-team tier from 2024-25, with concussion protocols extended to 21 days' stand-down in line with UK government guidance.
The changes to the breakdown will see referees able to penalise dangerous clear-outs with a free kick and cards of varying severity. Referees will be on alert for "croc rolls", where a jackler is pulled sideways or backwards as their weight is applied to an opposition ruck or maul.
World Rugby, the sport's global governing body, has made no secret of its desire to reduce the risk of head injuries at the breakdown. A 2021 welfare plan included the use of Independent Concussion Consultants in elite matchday medical teams, as well as trials of a lower tackle height of 6ft in community rugby.
The WRU became an early adopter of the ICC system, and last month expanded its concussion-related support to a Brain Health Service for former elite players in Wales, launched with the players' union and World Rugby.
The next evolution of the lower tackle height trials could land in top-tier rugby in the southern hemisphere from next season, with a push for the 6ft height limit going global.
For now, the 50:22 kick rule at fly-halves is the most significant example of how World Rugby has sought to accelerate play and reduce downtime. That comes in from July 2024 and will be implemented in all Welsh rugby competitions.
"We want a faster, cleaner game that has less rucking and releases the ball quicker. By putting the focus on fooling defenders, we can achieve that," said Dave Kirk, the WRU's director of rugby development, in a previous interview on the 50 22 proposal.
The novelty of the 50 22 rule may dominate the conversation ahead of the new Premiership season, but the real test for the WRU will be to encourage a cultural shift that reclassifies hard clearance work as foul play. More senior-level guidance, accurate refereeing and data to support the pilot will be needed to shape the challenge from clear-out "superborers" and the croc rolls that cause most welfare problems at the breakdown.
The disruption of the croc roll was the most important law trial agreed at the World Rugby Council in 2024, with unanimous agreement from international stakeholders. "We spent most of the session talking about the croc," said Kirk.
World Rugby trial outcomes focused on; where a jackler is being pulled or rolled to the side, they are deemed out of the permitted line of arrival. The WRU have robustly clarified the lines of sanctions, showing management response to close this loophole and assess each referral properly.
An independent croc roll assessment is expected at the end of the season, with data on the fall in head and neck injuries and reviews from referees and coaches, to help shape any permanent changes.
