World Cup referees like Craig Joubert won’t hesitate to dish out yellow cards where appropriate.
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Players at the Rugby World Cup will be sin-binned for diving and feigning injury, and could even be banned, as part of a crackdown on the “football culture” creeping into the game.
“Diving would be ungentlemanly conduct”.
Referees would also be wary to stamp out another scourge that it encroaching from football, with players badgering referees being warned at first and marched back 10 metres if the problem persists.
May’s European Rugby Champions Cup final was also marred by South Africa winger Bryan Habana diving in an attempt to win a penalty after pretending to be taken out by England star Owen Farrell.
“I don’t think there’s any harm that World Rugby are making a point in this World Cup to make sure it doesn’t go any further”, he told BBC Radio 5 live.
The 2015 edition of the quadrennial tournament is set to kick off Friday at London’s Twickenham Stadium, and since rugby remains a foreign concept to many Americans, NESN.com is here to bring you a little introduction to the sport they call “a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen”.
And he confirmed referees have been ordered to be tougher on general foul play, particularly on no-arm tackles, including the low American football-style blocks that have crept into the game, and players who roll opponents out of a ruck by their neck.
Players caught diving on camera can expect a warning from citing commissioners, the equivalent of a yellow card.
‘It would be a straight yellow card’.
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An integrity unit will watch for match-fixing, independent concussion experts will assess head injuries and there will be a record number of drugs tests, some of which will be stored for reanalysis.
