The Aussies are trialling a couple of new rules in the upcoming All Stars game. I like the 20/40 rule, could have some mileage:

The All Stars game will feature an innovative "power play", in which each captain can nominate a five-minute period in both halves, where the opposing side must drop two players.

The defending team will nominate which of their players must leave the field and if the team that has called the power play scores a try in that five minute period, the power play will end immediately.

The two teams cannot call a power play simultaneously.

In another innovation, infringements in the ruck area will lead to an immediate restart of the tackle count, as opposed to a kick for touch.

The 40-20 rule has been expanded to include 20-40 kicks in play.

I don't mind the 20-40 kicks as it's just the same as 40-20, but the power play idea seems like making changes for the sake of it.

It might make a close game exciting, but what use would it be in a blow out game?

I'm assuming you have to replace two players from the subs bench, otherwise it would be 13 v 11.

What difference would that make? Surely it's just taking two players off the team for 5 minutes to give the team with the Power Play the chance to score?

I would have thought that getting rid of a teams two best players for 10 minutes would be a big enough advantage.

Edit,
I've misread it. It's the defending team who decides which players get removed.

As usual

BJ at least I admit it when I am OCCASIONALLY wrong, unlike some on here.

Does Australia operate on a different calendar? Is it April 1st over there?

I think this is quite probably the most stupid idea I've ever heard.

Awful, if true.

The 'powerplay' is a nonsense gimmick, and risks us looking more like a 'Gladiators' type novelty game than a serious sport. No, no, no, no, no.

My worry about the 20/40 is that it could encourage a lot of RU-like kicking for territory by the FB when fielding a kick and I'd rather see the ball kept in hand.

I could live with the 20/40 if I had to, but would hate for us to turn into gameshow with the introduction of 'powerplay'.

Powerplay idea is just silly. Kick thing is fine although I thought they might have gone 50/10 which makes more sense than 20/40.

I agree fully, neither idea improves the game.

I agree!

The power play is just utter stupid.

The 20/40 will just encourage teams to kick more and we will end up with a rugby union style game.