World Rugby has updated its officiating rules ahead of the start of the Nations Cup

The international federation World Rugby has introduced a set of updated officiating directives ahead of the November Nations Cup matches, focusing on player safety and maintaining a high pace of play. The federation's leadership held a meeting near London with the head coaches of 24 leading national teams and the officiating staff, as reported by BBC Sport.

The main priorities for officials include scrum formation rules, tackling dangerous actions, and the regulations for using the Television Match Official (TMO) system. On-field referees are instructed to intervene only in cases of 'clear and obvious' errors and within a strictly limited window, primarily when awarding tries or identifying serious foul play. In scrums, both tighthead props are required to keep their right shoulder open, and hookers must keep a supporting foot on the turf to prevent collapses.

Referees will pay special attention to 'hip-drop' tackles, for which the base sanction will be a yellow card. The 20-minute red card rule for contact and tackle-related fouls will continue to apply in the tournament, while permanent dismissal without replacement is reserved for blatant foul play away from the ball. The head contact assessment protocol has been supplemented with points regarding ruck infringements.

Federation statistics for the period from 2024 to 2026 showed an increase in scoring in the Nations Championship and Nations Cup tournaments: the average number of tries increased from six to eight per match, and the number of penalties taken decreased from 3.5 to 1.5. This was facilitated by the requirement to form scrums and lineouts within 30 seconds. The Nations Cup resumes on November 6 with the Ireland vs. Argentina match in Dublin, and in the final stage at Twickenham, if the score is tied after 80 minutes, the winner will be determined by the 'golden point' rule.