So ... my feeling on this is that this absulutely be manipulated by the ball carrier to ensure the penalty or card. Having competed and coached in karate for many years.. there is a ruling called "mabobi" it is where the attacking player endangers him/herself by leading with the head or face, with little or no regard for their own safety. I believe that this can easily and effectively be utilised in rugby... If the TMO can show that the attacking player lowered their position so as to lead with the head and to make the tackle almost impossible, he/she should be penalised for deliberately endangering themselves and the defending team be awarded a penalty. This will also avoid a lot of potential issues with the new proposed tackle law as well.

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Thanks for the fair and balanced article Hamish. Sports like soccer, league and Aussie rules have always been much more about club than internationals. Rugby is different, it's about national pride. Remember all those wallabies jerseys when Pat Cash won Wimbledon? Looking at France and England where they have the big leagues, test rugby has the much bigger TV audiences (even compared to finals) and makes all the profits. Much more so of course everywhere else.

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