Enough to stop foul play? URC ref boss Tappe Henning unsure about 20-minute red card law

Tappe Henning, the United Rugby Championship's head of match officials, has preached caution in World Rugby's quest to expand the 20-minute red card law trail.

The controversial proposal, which is currently in use in this year's Super Rugby Pacific tournament, decrees that an offending player is sent off for that period of time and is then replaced by a substitute.

Yet while the rule goes a long way towards protecting the integrity of a contest in terms of 15 playing 15, there's widespread concern that it will do little to deter players from engaging in dangerous and foul play.

"If you want to change player behaviour in terms of preventing head shots and such offences, the punishment must fit the crime," Henning said during a comprehensive media briefing with journalists from all URC countries on Wednesday.

"How do you change behaviour with 'soft' decisions? There must be a tangible consequence for players. They must come to the realisation that they must take more care because they can cost their sides dearly. That's the situation we find ourselves in."

                                                                 Tappe Henning. (URC)

To date, it's understood that Super Rugby's closed trial has delivered inconclusive results.

However, Henning acknowledges that red cards have, in certain circumstances, a ruinous effect on a match as a spectacle.

He references the recent Six Nations match between Ireland and England, which saw Roses lock Charlie Ewels sent off after just 82 seconds.

"My understanding is that there's a lot of information being collected on this issue and that pleases me," said Henning, a former South African Test referee.

"We have to protect the integrity and enjoyment of 80-minute rugby with 15 against 15 that