According to Varsity Cup, the Power Play rule may only be called by a team when the team is on their own half of the field. The captain of the team is the only player that may call Power Play and he may only call it once throughout the game. The rule allows a team to remove two of the opposing team’s backline players that have been nominated to be taken off the field. These players will be removed from the field for a total of three minutes within the playing time. However, if the opposing team with two less players, scores within the three minutes of Power Play, they earn an extra two points therefore they earn seven points before conversion.
Varsity Cup adds that the main priority when considering the changing of rules is the development and encouragement of attacking tactics. Furthermore, the Power Play rule introduces exactly what the Varsity Cup Board aims for, more attacking methods.
According to Varsity Cup, CEO of Varsity Cup and Varsity Shield, Duitser Bosman said the “yellow and red cards are such integral aspects of rugby, yet players and coaches worldwide struggle to deal with the change in personnel.” Bosman added that the Power Play rule will allow future generations of rugby players to defend better on the field with fewer teammates. This will allow team members to full make use of the numerical advantage they have over the opposing team. Varsity Cup and Varsity Shield’s new Power Play rule could hugely impact results throughout 2018’s tournament.
