Red card debate overshadows a try bonanza
Leicester Tigers coach Geordan Murphy said rugby has become 'too pc' after Will Spencer's red card against Wasps last Sunday
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TRU contributor Greg Boon gives his verdict on another breathtaking weekend of Gallagher Premiership action which included one standout talking point.
Fans of Premiership Rugby were treated in Round Three to every kind of try imaginable.
The rolling maul, power from five metres out, the snipe, the individual try and the team try. You name it, it was on show over the weekend.
It was a defence coach’s nightmare, but a dream for spectators and perhaps more importantly, it was brilliant for the neutrals.
The criticism that attacks in the Premiership are hampered by the threat of relegation and the attritional styles of play have been thrust aside and replaced with a product that could truly claim to be the best league in the world.
Round Three continued what has been a record-breaking start to the season, with 116 tries scored in three weeks.
Yet for all the brilliance of Bryce Heem, Joe Cokanasiga and Josh Bassett, it was overshadowed by a single decision.
Leicester Tigers had battled back to within seven points of Wasps in a hugely entertaining clash last Sunday. Their pack had started to find some ascendancy over Wasps in a game that had been dominated by the backs when Will Spencer was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Tommy Taylor.
Referee Ian Tempest decided that the Leicester second row’s shoulder had made contact with the Wasps hookers head.
Far from changing the game, Leicester, amazingly, still had opportunities to win following Spencer's red card but the decision is still a main talking point.
If we look at the decision in isolation, it was not a shoulder charge, there were arms involved but it was a dangerous tackle.
Spencer’s shoulder clearly made contact with Taylor’s head, however, the tackle was not late, it wasn’t malicious and Taylor was able to play on.
In seasons passed we called this a rugby “accident” and Spencer would have spent 10 minutes in the bin.
This isn’t a tackle that could be taken in isolation though.
Rugby is at a crossroads, the rates of concussion in the professional game are dangerous and we must change to keep players safe.
A greater context has to be applied. Referees are trying to change behaviours for player welfare and ultimately the good of the game.
English rugby's annual injury audit showed last season concussion was the most reported injury.
The BBC reported that for every elite English rugby match, one player is expected to suffer a brain injury. The rate of concussion rose for the seventh year running, despite the RFU and Premiership Rugby bringing in a host of new laws and policies.
Players have to go from low to high, if they are making a man and ball tackle. If not, then take the legs, both skills we all learnt during school rugby.
Referees are asking players to go back to basics. The fact is that Spencer’s tackle technique (and there was no intent in this he is after all a creation of his training) never changed from the start to the completion of his tackle.
No one club is going to adopt this approach while the others hang onto the current way of playing, to do so would mean being at a tactical disadvantage.
This leaves the referees and governing bodies with a choice that means short term pain for long term gain. Yes, red cards could kill contests, though to Tigers’ credit it didn’t on Sunday, but to not try could seriously affect players.
