Joe Schmidt understands why IRFU and other unions are reluctant to adopt World Rugby's 10 law trials

World Rugby have made the proposals that include the introduction of an orange card and no scrum resets

Joe Schmidt understands why the IRFU and other unions are reluctant to adopt World Rugby's 10 law trials.

World Rugby have made the proposals that include the introduction of an orange card and no scrum resets to potentially reduce the spread of Covid-19 when the game resumes.

But former Ireland boss Schmidt believes that Unions can't adopt laws without the opportunity to try them out at some level - which won't happen before the professional game returns.

Schmidt said: “I think there was immediately some push-back from countries who said 'Well, reset scrums, what's the difference between having one scrum and having another one? And what happens if there are 30 scrums in a game because there are lots of errors, as opposed to 10 scrums in a game where you might get four resets?'

“I think it was just the practicality of actually doing them. 

"And that generally is the way that law changes are made in that they are offered up - and if they are being trialled, countries opt in with one of their domestic competitions.

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“It may be at an age-grade. The hips-down tackle trial was being done in French lower grades at age-grade level.

“They do experiment like that, so that they can get a little bit of a taste of it. Because what you don't want is those unforeseen consequences that actually don't add value to the game.

“They changed where you could collapse the maul a few years ago, so everyone just collapsed the maul and you had 15 players spread across the pitch, and it was very hard to go anywhere.

“What you did was, you limited one of the ways that you can progress the ball up field. And then everyone knew you couldn't do it that way, so everyone just spread out.

“It's things like that, they want to avoid when they put it into general law where everyone has to follow it."