Today's rugby headlines as star red carded for 'head-high assault' and new law to stay

Here are your rugby morning headlines for Saturday, April 9.

Brive's Axel Müller was handed a red card in the European Challenge Cup match for a jumping challenge on Sarries winger Ben Harris, who was floored by the hit ahead of Jamie George's try in the 55-5 win.

Commentator Nick Mullins said: "Brutal goings-on in Brive. Switching between Galway and that game where the French are being heavily beaten by Saracens & treading the line of legality. There’s just been a red for a head-high assault."

Saracens led 8-0 after 10 minutes through Owen Farrell’s penalty and Andy Christie’s try and though Setariki Tuicuvu responded for Brive, they too were soon out of the game. Forwards Eroni Mawi and Nick Isiekwe made it 22-5 at half-time and scrum-half Ivan Van Zyl scored inside a minute of the second period.

Ben Earl and Rotimi Segun dotted down either side of the hour, before Brive full-back Muller was red-carded for the brutal hit on Harris in the lead up to George’s score. Harris would in fact go on to finish the job with a late try, but the hit he sustained was the main talking point after the one-sided game.

The 50:22 kick rule and the goal-line drop-out rule will reportedly become a permanent part of rugby’s law book from next season after successful trials. The Times reports that World Rugby’s law review group met this week and is set to confirm next month that the new laws are here to stay.

Both were introduced last August as part of player welfare-driven global law trials which also included tightening up rules around players “pre-latching” before contact.

All Blacks fly-half Beauden Barrett is feeling good ahead of a return to rugby, having struggled with a couple of head injuries which left him fearing for his career.