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 BACK - and that means a raft of rule changes.
Five major changes have been introduced for this year's tournament as rugby chiefs attempt to speed up the action.
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Some of the biggest changes for the Six Nations have come at the line-out.
We have all the info below.
What are the new line-out rules in the Six Nations 2025?
There have been a number major changes at one of the most crucial aspect of the game.
And the first is bad news for touch judges as they will no longer indicate where a ball went out of play and signal the position for the restart.
Instead, the balls this year have been implanted with a 'touchfinder' microchip.
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.
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