Leicester Tigers’ Cumbrian head coach Steve Borthwick is not a fan of the proposed 20-minute red card in rugby union.
It was revealed this week that World Rugby will consider the further rollout of a 20-minute red card, which is currently being used in Super Rugby Pacific in the southern hemisphere, in the future.
With the new proposal, the player shown a red card can be replaced at the end of a 20-minute period.
Interestingly Borthwick’s comments came after one of his players, Guy Porter, picked up a controversial red card for Leicester against Clermont.
However, that did not change Borthwick’s view as he was at pains to stress that he still supported the existing yellow and red card format.
He said: “I sit with the traditional view that it’s what we understand as a red card.
“For my whole career, a red card has been a player leaving the pitch and doesn’t return during the game. That’s the way I’ve been brought up and what I’d stick with.”
However, his own player Porter’s sending-off had followed a collision with opposing back-rower Fritz Lee, which could have been a “game-defining red card.”
In actual fact, the Tigers extended their lead by seven points with 14 men over the final 20 minutes.
“I was really pleased with how the players adapted on the pitch. Going down to 14 men, they were actually able to extend the score through that period. I thought that was really good by the team.
“The nature of these incidents are tight and the referees have some tough calls to make.
“Ultimately, we don’t want to be in that position because we don’t want to be losing players and we don’t want players getting hurt on the pitch.
“But those moments can be almost game-defining. How you adapt, how you train, so you understand what it is to play against a team that are a man down, how you play as a team a man down – those are all important considerations.”
Carlisle-born Borthwick learnt his rugby at Hutton Grammar School when the family moved to the area.
From there it was a natural progression to start his club rugby with Preston Grasshoppers as a youth team player.
His talent was clear and in 1998, aged just 19, he joined Bath and went on to play 246 games for them.
He ended his career with Saracens in 2014 after playing 144 games. He was capped 57 times for England.
Borthwick, now 42, had his first experience of coaching with Japan as an assistant and was then appointed forwards coach with the Bristol club.
From 2015 to 2020 he was forwards coach with England before taking on the role of head coach with Leicester in 2020.
