Lawmakers say the 20-minute red card is designed to "punish the player and not the team", with sides able to replace a dismissed player after 20 minutes. The men's Six Nations sta

The Six Nations is to adopt the 20-minute red cards that were trialled during the autumn. For the first time in the Championship, players sent off for technical offences can be replaced by a team-mate after 20 minutes have elapsed in an initiative design to punish players and not teams.

Referees can still hand out a permanent red card for foul play that is deemed to be deliberate and dangerous, but for technical offences that are not deliberate or intentional the offending team can r

This year's Six Nations will feature 20-minute red cards for the first time after the law variation was trialled during the November internationals, organisers said. Under the change, some red card offences will see a player sent to the sin bin for 20 minutes with the offender then able to be replaced on the field by a teammate off the bench when the punishment has been completed.