Rugby league's international governing body has endorsed the NRL's ban on the shoulder charge by extending it across all competitions.
All rugby league matches, starting with this weekend's World Club Challenge between the NRL premiers Melbourne and the English Super League champions Leeds, will now be played under the new rules prohibiting the shoulder charge.
But the chairman of the International Rugby League Federation Scott Carter says competitions such as Britain's Super League - will be allowed to decide if the rule is implemented immediately.
The ban has been met with a largely negative reaction by NRL players, who argued tougher penalties for contact with an opponent's head would have been a better response to a spate of ugly shoulder charges last year.
