World Rugby sets out yellow card for hip-drop tackles as Nations Championship returns

World Rugby is cracking down on the hip-drop tackle from November, and the first sanction will be a yellow card. A hip-drop is when a defender grabs an opponent from the side or behind, swings or rotates around them, and drops their body weight onto the ball carrier's legs. Yellow cards send a player off the field for 10 minutes.

The changes were set out by BBC Sport, which reported on the package ahead of the Nations Championship's return on 6 November. Ireland host Argentina in Dublin that day. The competition ends with a finals weekend at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.

Tackles and breakdown offences that reach the red-card threshold will bring a 20-minute red card. That means the player is sent off, but their team can bring on a replacement after 20 minutes. The breakdown is the contest for the ball on the ground after a tackle, and it is where many of the sport's fiercest arguments happen. A permanent red card, which cannot be replaced, is reserved for the most serious foul play away from the ball.

The law on tacklers dropping to their knees before making a tackle is also being tightened. The Head Contact Process, the framework officials use to judge foul play, now covers illegal acts at the breakdown too.

Scrums get some specific instructions for November internationals. Both loosehead props, the front-row forwards on the left of the scrum, must have their right shoulders out. The hooker, who hooks the ball back in the middle of the front row, must have his brake foot planted in the tunnel, the gap between the two front rows. Officials are also encouraged to get scrums and lineouts formed within 30 seconds, which cuts down on the stoppages that break up play.

The television match official, or TMO, is a referee in a video booth who checks decisions on replays. Under the new approach, the TMO will only step in for "clear and obvious" errors and within a short window of opportunity. Otherwise, the calls stay with the referee on the pitch. The TMO's role will largely focus on foul play and whether a try should be awarded.

Assistant referees, the two officials on the touchlines, can enter the playing area to report foul play, but only at the next stoppage and when the referee allows it. When an assistant signals foul play, they stay in touch and carry on with their other duties until play stops. For red-card decisions made under the 20-minute system, the referee, assistants and TMO decide at the time of the incident. No off-field review takes place.

BBC Sport also reported on what the rule changes are trying to address. Penalty data from Nations Championship and Nations Cup games in 2024, 2025 and 2026 showed that the number of penalties kicked in internationals dropped from 3.5 in 2024 to 1.5 in 2026. Over the same two years, the number of tries rose from six to eight per match. Fewer stoppages for penalties and more scoring is the trend the sport wants to keep.

Before the competition returned, the top 24 international head coaches met World Rugby officials outside London. Match officials then held a conference the following day. World Rugby has also set out a longer phased plan. A 2024 update from the body said it would outlaw the "croc roll", a tackle where a player rolls the ball carrier over, and remove the option to take a scrum from a free kick.

For fans, the first thing to watch will be how quickly referees use the hip-drop yellow card when the Nations Championship gets going. The new scrum rules will show up in the front row before the first whistle. Whether the changes cut down on penalties without slowing the game down will be clearer after a few weekends of matches.