World Rugby launches fan-response study as international try rate rises

World Rugby has launched a study using biometric sensors to examine what engages supporters during matches, alongside a wider drive to make rugby safer and keep play moving. BBC Sport reported the initiative on Tuesday as the governing body set out its approach to the game and held discussions with leading international coaches and referees.

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The report said the number of tries per international match had increased from six to eight over two years. Kicked penalties fell from 3.5 in 2024 to 1.5 in 2026. The figures came from Nations Championship and Nations Cup matches across 2024, 2025 and 2026, providing the statistical backdrop to discussions about how the sport is being played and officiated.

Twenty-four international head coaches met World Rugby officials outside London before the Nations Championship resumed. According to World Rugby sources cited by the BBC, they raised questions about the scrum, breakdown, deliberate knock-ons and foul play during scoring attempts. Those sources described the coaches as generally supportive of the increase in tries and the greater amount of time the ball remains in play.

Refereeing sources attributed those developments to quicker play and a more consistent approach to the breakdown by players and officials. Other leading referees pointed to greater fatigue, with officials encouraged to have scrums and line-outs formed within 30 seconds. Those are explanations offered by officials, rather than findings from the new supporter study, whose purpose is to examine fans’ responses to the action.

A larger group of match officials gathered the following day at a conference attended by BBC Sport. Jonathan Humphreys led the scrum presentation, while World Rugby adviser Warren Gatland also attended. Former New Zealand official Brendon Pickerill, who worked on a 2023 World Cup semi-final, addressed foul play and the television match official’s role.

The guidance outlined in the report keeps TMO intervention focused on clear errors within a limited opportunity to act, principally around foul play and try-scoring. Scrum instructions stress correct loosehead shoulder positioning and a grounded hooker’s brake foot for stability. Together with the supporter research, the briefings form part of World Rugby’s stated effort to improve continuity without removing competition at the breakdown and set-piece.