New Zealand’s new Super Rugby Aotearoa tournament will allow teams to replace red carded players with a substitute after a 20 minute delay.

The competition, which features all five Super Rugby franchises, will be the first to trial the “orange card” rule, which has been backed by World Rugby and referee Nigel Owens.

It’s a good idea. Far too many games are ruined when a player is sent off for an accidental dangerous tackle or a marginal decision. Numerical advantage just counts for so much in rugby.

The Kiwi competition will also scrap draws, and instead decide tied games with a 10 minute “golden point” extra time period, where the first side to score any points wins