IN LINE
What are the new line-out rules for the Six Nations 2025?
New rules have been introduced to help speed the game up
THE Six Nations is fast approaching the halfway mark - and a host of new rules have been on display during the opening two fixtures.
The action in the opening two rounds has been sped up for the benefit of the fans, this is because five major changes have been introduced.
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Line-outs are a key part of any rugby union match, as a good line-out can swing the momentum of a game upside down.
England's Jamie George will tell you all about this, as two of his line-outs against France had a huge bearing on Steve Borthwick's side scoring two tries late in the second half and winning the game.
There are new rules for line-outs at the Six Nations, we have all the info on them below.
What are the new line-out rules in the Six Nations 2025?
The new rules start as early as the ball going dead.
Usually, the touch judge would indicate where a ball has gone out of play, but new 'touchfinder' technology has been installed into balls to indicate where they leave the field of play.
The balls will be tracked by computers and fed back to the referee to make sure the placement is exact.
Another new rule means that teams must form a line-out within 30 seconds of the assistant referee's signal - no hanging around here.
The other rules are around wonky throws.
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After a line-out is formed, the ball no longer has to be thrown straight.
If the ball is not thrown straight and the non-throwing team doesn't contest it, play will continue.
If there is a wonky throw that is contested, the non-throwing team can choose to have a line-out or their own or a scrum.
If they choose a line-out themselves and that throw is then wonky, the original throwing team will be awarded a scrum.
Who is playing this weekend in the Six Nations?
Both the BBC and ITV will be showing the Six Nations, here is a full list of which of the remaining games is on which channel:
Round 3:
- Wales vs Ireland - Feb 22, 2:15pm GMT - BBC
- England vs Scotland - Feb 22, 4:45pm GMT- ITV
- Italy vs France - Feb 23, 3pm GMT - ITV
Round 4:
- Ireland vs France - Mar 8, 2:15pm GMT - ITV
- Scotland vs Wales - Mar 8, 4:45pm GMT - BBC
- England vs Italy - Mar 9, 3pm GMT - ITV
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Round 5:
- Italy vs Ireland - Mar 15, 2:15pm GMT - ITV
- Wales vs England - Mar 15, 4:45pm GMT - BBC
- France vs Scotland - Mar 15, 8pm GMT - ITV
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