Sweeping changes for Six Nations

International rugby chiefs yesterday announced the introduction of the sin bin for the Six Nations Championship, which gets under way in a fortnight.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) also brought in sweeping changes to the scrum and line-out designed to open up the game. The experimental changes will take effect from next Saturday and the impacts will be reviewed by the IRB at their annual meeting in March.

The revised laws will be in place for the knockout stages of the European Cup and next month's Super 12 and subsequent Tri-Nations Series in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Allan Hosie, the former international referee who chairs the IRB's laws committee, said the introduction of the sin bin will deter cheats.

"The Southern Hemisphere and other countries have used it for some years and it works very well," he said. "It's the way to clean up the game. "

Board chairman Vernon Pugh said: "They had the experience and the opportunity to review in detail all aspects of the game, with particular emphasis on Rugby World Cup 99, and were unanimous in their opinion that certain immediate law experimentation was required."

In the other changes, defending players will only be allowed to challenge for possession by joining the contest behind the player nearest to their own goal line who is involved in the tackle.

In scrums, a new `use it or lose it' law has been adopted to address situations where the scrum is either wheeled through more than 90 degrees or becomes stationary leading to repeated resets.

Under the new laws the team that puts the ball in and then fails to use it will see the referee awarding possession to the other team at the reset scrum.

In the line-out, players can now pre-grip on their jumpers before the ball is thrown. The jumpers can be supported from behind on the shorts and above the knees from the front, thus providing greater stability.

In under-19 rugby, it was decided to continue with the existing law which only permits support from the waist.

In another change, players will no longer be required to run to the line-out when taking part in a peel move. Instead they will be allowed to peel off and move to the ball at a greater distance from the line-out, thus gaining more momentum and opening up new attacking options.

Cardiff and Lions prop David Young was last night appointed as Wales captain for the Six Nations Championship.

Young's shock promotion was confirmed by Wales coach Graham Henry. The 32-year-old replaces his Cardiff colleague Rob Howley in the hot seat.

Scrum-half Howley led Wales to victory in 10 of their last 12 Tests but it is understood that Henry felt that the time was right for a change.

Young, the current Cardiff skipper, takes command for Wales's opening Six Nations match against France in Cardiff on February 5th.

A former rugby league professional with Leeds and Salford, Young made his Wales union debut during the 1987 World Cup as a 19-year-old.

Meanwhile, the procedure invoked under the Five Nations Accord to determine the value of the Five Nations element of the English Rugby Union's contract with BSkyB has been completed and was delivered yesterday.