A host of new law trials aimed at speeding up the game will be introduced at two Queensland Reds matches in Australia.

Test referees Nic Berry and Damon Murphy will take charge of games between the Queensland President’s XV and a Queensland Reds development squad on 9 and 15 October.

The two matches will, however, have special significance as they will be the subject of a bunch of new law trials that are aimed at making rugby faster.

Included in the law trials are time limits on using the ball at a breakdown, forming a scrum, taking penalty kicks and throwing in at the lineouts.

Added to this are free kicks for two successive scrum resets, limits on the number of players who can join a maul and a new interpretation of the deliberate knock-down rule.

The changes have been introduced after a round table of Sanzaar referees flagged issues with ball-in-play time and the length of matches during Super Rugby.

These issues have continued through to the Test season, with fans voicing their frustrations with how long matches were going on during the Rugby Championship.

EXPERIMENTAL LAWS TO BE TRIALLED :

* Five seconds to exit the ruck after referee calls to ‘Use it’

* 30 seconds to pack scrum from when the mark is set

* 60 seconds to take penalty kicks, 90 seconds for conversions, 30 seconds to restart after a conversion

* 30 seconds to throw lineout from when the mark is set.

All the above infringements result in a quick-tap penalty only, with no option to scrum.

* Scrum reset if no clear sanction in the first instance, with a free kick to feeding team if it happens twice.

* Defending halfback cannot go beyond midline of scrum.

* Only contested throws to lineout can be adjudicated as not straight.

* Only players within the lineout formation can join a maul formed at a lineout.

* Focus on tackler not rolling, must make effort to roll immediately towards sideline.

* Deliberate knockdown to be refereed as either a ‘deliberate attempt to catch’, or a ‘deliberate attempt to knock down’, which will result in a penalty kick.

* Three phases and then advantage over, with territorial and tactical consideration at referees’ discretion.

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