All Blacks vs Italy: World Rugby calls for more cards for dangerous tackles

  • 22/11/2018
Owne Farrell tackles Andre Esterhuizen.
Owne Farrell tackles Andre Esterhuizen. Photo credit: Reuters

World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper is demanding referees show more yellow and red cards to put an end to dangerous tackles.

Gosper's comments come after several controversial moments during the November internationals, including a clean-out by All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock on Cian Healy during the Ireland test and Owen Farrell's tackle on Andre Esterhuizen - both went unpunished.

World Rugby is desperate to limit the number of concussions in the game, as numbers continue to rise. According to RFU data, concussions account for 22 percent of all match injuries in the 2016/17 season.

Top rugby players have also been forced to retire due to concussions, including Kiwi-turned-Irish international Jared Payne and former All Blacks lock Jason Eaton.

During the World Rugby U20 Championship, a trial for new tackle laws deemed anything above the 'nipple line' to be high.

Gosper said not enough had been done to lower the height of the tackle and he felt handing out more cards might be the answer.

"The cards are there to change behaviour," Gosper told the Telegraph. "They only continue to be a problem if behaviour does not change.

"The only way you can get player behaviour to change is to sanction with red cards and actually - we have probably not seen enough of it.

"I would say, in many ways, we have probably not been hard enough.

"There have probably not been as many yellow cards as we would like and maybe not even as many red cards as we would like.

"We have not had the behaviour change that we are seeking yet, so we have to continue in that vein.

"Dropping the height of the tackle is due to the statistics showing us that if the player is bent at the waist as they tackle, they are four times less likely to suffer a concussion.

"Of course, when you drop the height of the tackle, you are also less likely to concuss the ball carrier."

Former rugby referee Jonathan Kaplan told The Telegraph that Whitelock's first-half incident warranted a red card.

"Although I needed a few reviews to come to that decision," Kaplan said. "This is an arriving player diving onto a prone defenceless player and making contact with the shoulder to the head with force, whether reckless or intentional."

Gosper ruled out the possibility of an extra 'orange' card being introduced for high-tackle offences to avoid teams being reduced to 14 men automatically.

"We recognise that there are consistencies and over time, that will sort itself out. We are working to rectify them.

"We cannot stand there with our hands up and say we get it right every time.

"It is not an easy job being a referee and they are under a lot of pressure. We give them our full support.

"Our job is to make them feel comfortable with what we want them to do with the tackle area."

Newshub.

Join us 3am Sunday morning for live updates of the All Blacks vs Italy.