RFU's tackle law opens new front in rugby's culture war
What do they want us to do now? Go out there and play ‘Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man?
This apocryphal question, attributed to the 55-Test Wallaby prop, Dan Crowley, was supposedly uttered, likely to great guffaws, during a Sanzar judiciary hearing in April 1997.
The previous day, Crawley, his Queensland Reds teammates and their New South Wales Waratahs opponents, were involved in an 80-minute brawl under the guise of a rugby match. According to the report, “There were fist fights. Stompings. Kneeings. Niggle.”
And so Crawley and the rest were dragged in front of the suits to answer for their crimes. Not that he, or the author of the piece, felt that a crime had been committed. “Rugby has become soft,” decried the anonymous columnist back in 2008.
Fifteen years later our sport is still grappling with this impossible conundrum. How do we keep the game safe, and thereby preserve its future, while retaining the aggression and physicality that makes the spectacle so appealing?
How soft is rugby?
This rhetorical question was posted on Twitter by another member of the front row club, Luke Cowan-Dickie. The England and Exeter hooker was adding his considerable heft to a debate following a red card brandished to Henry Slade for a swinging-arm high shot on Kurt-Lee Arendse of the Bulls during a Heineken Champions Cup last week.
It was another flash point in an ongoing culture war that has been percolating since the dawn of the professional era and has now reached a rolling boil in the social media age.
It is important to note that none of this is new. A Google search for “Rugby has gone soft” yields 1,230 results. “Rugby is soft” produces over 210,000 pages. Various iterations of the phrase likely total in the millions.
Back in 2017 Owen Slot, writing in The Time, stated that “Rugby has gone soft”. That same year Brian O’Driscoll claimed that the game had lost its edge after Manu Tuilagi, then playing for Leicester Tigers, was cited for a dangerous tackle on Munster’s Chris Cloete.
Tuilagi is an interesting case study and serves as a chief character in this debate. Unquestionably one of the hardest running centres of his generation, he infamously sucker punched Chris Ashton in 2011. Just a bit or argy-bargy that was once ubiquitous, and celebrated, in a sepia-toned age? Or was this nothing more than aggravated assault that warranted a criminal record?
Three years ago Tuilagi was in the dock again for a dangerous tackle on George North during a Six Nations game. Nick Cain in The Rugby Paper labelled the decision a “travesty and an insult to courage”. That courage was on display when Tuilagi, this time in Sale Sharks colours, hurled his shoulder into the face of Tommaso Allan in their Premiership clash in January.
Throw a stick in the air and there’s a good chance it will land on a “rugby incident”, as Tuilagi’s thuggery was officially branded by the citing committee, which skirts the line between what is palatable and what is not.
That line has shifted in recent years. What distinguishes the previous generation of players and those currently taking the field is the degree of known risk. Back then – and we don’t have to go too far back – anyone packing down for a scrum or launching themselves into a tackle did so with little understanding of how their actions may lead to long-term brain damage. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was medical mumbo jumbo. Besides, try saying that three times in quick succession after six pints in the club bar after a game.
Now we all understand the risk. And perhaps we all need to accept that the players enter into an unspoken contract with fate every time they lace up before kick-off. But just because they’ve agreed to put themselves in harm’s way it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t at least try to make the game more safe. Driving a car carries a degree of risk but there’s a reason seat belts are mandatory.
This is why the RFU have introduced a new tackle law – which will come into effect from 1 July – in the community game in England that prohibits tackles above the waist. Predictably, this triggered the usual suspects.
Joe Marler, a player simultaneously heralded as a “character” the game sorely needs as well as a bearded man who still directs mum jokes at the opposition, wondered on Twitter, “Who the hell did they [The RFU] get to advise on this?” Cue fist-shaking and lamentations.
Except, maybe Marler, and those who shared his view that this was a terrible idea, have a point. Will we eventually reach a tipping point where rugby is unrecognisable after one too many alterations? If we take away the option of a pick-and-go or a double-up tackle to prevent an off-load, do we lose something integral to the sport’s composition? And what about the tackler who must now risk a head injury as they dip down towards the rampaging knees of the ball carrier? Do we not increase their risk?
The game stands at a crossroads. Or maybe it’s stuck in a cul-de-sac, the same one we’ve been circling for almost three decades. Round and round we go.
Each high tackle or late challenge or premature death caused by too many blows to the head will ignite the conflict, opening a new front in the culture war. We’ll continue to call each other ‘dinosaur’ and ‘woke’ and ‘gammon’. ‘Proper rugby men’ will deride the ‘snowflakes’. Clubs will continue to battle for members. Parents will continue to steer their children away from the sport.
Is there a solution? Maybe not. Maybe we’re on a slide to oblivion. Maybe this game will go the way of gladiator fights or public executions. Maybe we reach a point where no one is happy. Maybe then we’d all find common ground.
Comments on RugbyPass
Irish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
4 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
4 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to comments