Australia’s new tournament, which starts on Friday, boasts radical law changes but it risks increasing the risk of injury and eliminating the quirks that make rugby union what it is
A new tournament starts in Australia on Friday. Called World Series Rugby, it will involve matches played by Western Force in Perth, which was dropped as one of the country’s super rugby sides at the end of last season, against the three Pacific islands, Hong Kong, the Rebels and the Crusaders.
It was devised by Andrew Forrest, the Force’s billionaire backer, who anticipates that next year the series will largely include sides from Asia. World Rugby has given its approval for a series of law changes to be adopted with the aim of speeding up the game.
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