Prem agrees refereeing changes to align with international law ahead of World Cup preparations
On 23 September 2026 the Premiership agreed to change law interpretations for the coming season to better match international officiating, a move that England head coach Steve Borthwick has taken as a boost to his preparations for next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.
The agreement, reached in the formal absence of relegation from the Prem for the first time this season, covers a number of targeted law interpretations intended to bring club refereeing closer to the international game; the areas to be policed differently include the offside line, the scrum — specifically the brake-foot law — and the breakdown.
Borthwick has raised concerns about the differing standards between the Prem and international matches, saying the breakdown tends to be less of a contest in the domestic league; the breakdown was a frequent problem during England’s miserable Six Nations campaign, and the four-Test series between South Africa and New Zealand over the summer highlighted the ferocity with which elite nations are contesting that area of the game.
It is understood Borthwick met the directors of rugby last month and the Rugby Football Union’s refereeing team gave a presentation on the intended law interpretations.
England’s scrum has markedly improved since Borthwick’s appointment, under the guidance of assistant coach Tom Harrison, but Borthwick remains mindful of how dominant South Africa have been in that facet and how influential it was in their series win against New Zealand.
Karl Dickson, one of the RFU’s professional officials, twice penalised the All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor for brake‑foot infringements in the fourth Test in Baltimore. The brake‑foot law, introduced in 2022 as a safety measure, requires the hooker to position one foot forward before engagement at the scrum, and the New Zealand assistant coach Neil Barnes said afterwards that it is a law "which no one really gives a shit about, but the referees are concentrating on".
A Prem director of rugby told the Guardian: "The standard and the intensity of the Prem has increased. At international level the speed is quicker than it is in the Prem. The physicality is more intense and then there’s the nature and style and strategy of the game. That comes down in part to how it’s refereed and we had a conversation around the product we want to get out there and the nuances and interpretations of the laws. Can we align that with international refereeing?"
In February it was announced the coming season would be the first in which the Prem is formally a closed league, and the season begins on Friday with Northampton hosting Newcastle and Harlequins facing Bath.