World Rugby: New rules added to stop simulation before summer tours

Referees will be able to punish players they believe are guilty of diving or feigning injury

World Rugby has introduced a number of law changes to the northern hemisphere game in an effort to stop simulation.

Any player who dives or feigns injury in an effort to influence match officials will be liable for sanction.

At the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, officials were instructed to sin-bin players who committed those offences.

Players who need to be substituted because of an injury following foul play will no longer count as one of their team's six allotted replacements.

And a change has also been made in the application of a maul law, punishable by a penalty.

It means a player in possession cannot slip to the back of a maul, with the ball having to be moved backwards hand to hand instead.

The changes have been in effect in the southern hemisphere since January.

England are scheduled to play a three-match Test series in Australia in June, while Wales play New Zealand in three Tests and Ireland are touring South Africa.

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