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League must look to union to stamp out dangerous tackles

31st July, 2017
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Sia Soliola returns for the Raiders this week – just in time to face the Storm! (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)
Expert
31st July, 2017
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It is common for sports to borrow ideas from each other, particularly the rugby codes, which are so similar and yet so different.

For example, in the late 1990s former Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen adopted rugby league style defensive patterns, which helped Australia win the 1999 World Cup, conceding just one try in the tournament.

In the wake of Sia Soliola’s sickening head high tackle on Billy Slater it is time for the NRL to pinch rugby union’s laws relating to head high tackles.

To be sure, head high tackles are illegal in rugby league and Soliola was put on report and subsequently suspended for five weeks.

But a storm of controversy erupted when Soliola was not sent off, not even to the sin-bin. Referees boss Tony Archer admitted Soliola should have been sent off, but on the day it was up to the discretion of referee Matt Cecchin.

This situation would not have arisen in rugby union where the rules regarding head high tackles are much more black and white.

With concerns over concussions growing, World Rugby has cracked down on head high tackles, introducing a number of law changes this year, which offer zero tolerance for the offence.

Studies found that three-quarters of concussions occurred in the tackle. Accordingly, World Rugby redefined high tackles, introducing two new categories, the reckless and accidental tackle, with increased punishments.

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sia-soliola-billy-slater-tackle-tall

(AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

A reckless tackle is where a player knows the risk of making head high contact, but continues with the action, which can begin below the shoulder. This includes grabbing and rolling or twisting around the head/neck area.

Players are automatically given a yellow card for a reckless tackle with the potential for a red card.

If this system was in place in rugby league, Soliola would have been automatically sent off. The only debate would have been whether his action warranted a yellow or red card.

You can understand why sports want to keep players on the field and deal with foul play later. The fans pay to see 15 on 15 or 13 on 13 whatever the game may be.

The AFL does not even have a send-off rule. Instead, players are put on report and continue to play no matter the level of foul play, which is the subject of robust annual debate.

The argument is that sending off a player creates a lop-sided contest and can ruin the game as a spectacle.

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But concussion has become such a serious issue that player welfare must come before potentially compromising any particular match.

A recent study in the US found that 99 per cent of former NFL players showed signs of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative brain disease found in people who have suffered repeated blows to the head.

If you wanted an idea of how seriously rugby union is taking the issue, you only had to look at the recent Test series between the All Blacks and the British and Irish Lions.

All Black centre Sonny Bill Williams was red carded for a shoulder charge which connected with the head of Lions winger Anthony Watson in the second Test. This was the biggest game in rugby since the 2015 World Cup final, but Williams was sent off in the 25th minute.

Williams’ sending off was a major turning point in the Test, which the Lions won 24-21 and effectively cost the All Blacks the series, which was drawn. But no one complained about the severity of the punishment, not even the All Blacks.

While Williams was subsequently suspended for four weeks, including the opening Bledisloe Cup Test against the Wallabies in Sydney on August 19, no punishment is more severe than being sent off in one the biggest games of your career.

Sonny Bill Williams New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Union 2017

(AAP Image/Dean Pemberton)

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This kind of deterrent is needed to ensure players do not recklessly or even accidentally attack the head, which should be simply a no go area.

If player welfare is not sufficient incentive to crack down head high tackles, the NRL might consider the threat to its own bottom line.

There have been class actions taken by former NFL players over concussion, while ex NRL players Brett Horsnell and James McManus are taking legal action against Parramatta and Newcastle respectively over head injuries.

And what about parents and kids who watched in horror as Slater lay unconscious for three minutes after being hit by Soliola? That’s the future of the game you are playing with.

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