World Rugby has announced new measures, furthering the global game’s head injury prevention commitment. A new Head Contact Process is an expansion of current practice covering all head contact and helps match officials to determine the appropriate sanction when there is player contact with the head and neck.
The HCP is an evolution of the High Tackle Sanction Framework, which still remains active, and which supported rugby’s ambition of reducing the risk of head injury through stronger and more consistent on and off field sanctioning of high-risk tackle actions. It was hoped this would encourage a positive change in player behaviour, lowering tackle heights and reducing the numbers of player concussions.
Within the evolved HCP, the scope for sanction consideration has been broadened to include all illegal head and neck contact, including dangerous clean-outs, head-on-head collisions and head contact which arises from ball carriers leading with an elbow or forearm, in addition to high tackles and shoulder charges.
It has already been in operation in the Guinness Six Nations and across elite competitions around the world, and following today’s WR ExCo meeting, the HCP will now come into effect immediately at all levels of the game. Here is the Law Application Guideline which includes some good examples of each sanction, and some good tackling practice. There will now be a global cascade and education process for players, coaches and match officials, also furthering concussion awareness.
The law application guideline gives examples of mitigation and trigger words which can be used by match officials to help us to decide and communicate decisions.
The HCP is the result of a comprehensive review of the High Tackle Sanction Framework actioned at the Player Welfare Symposium in Paris in March 2020. The review group featured a mix of players, coaches, referees, medics and disciplinary representatives. Full list is below.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “The welfare of our players is – and has always been – our priority and I am passionate about ensuring our sport is the best it can be for everyone. The Head Contact Process reflects that collective commitment and builds on the solid foundations of the High Tackle Sanction Framework in its ambition to reduce the risk of injury by changing player behaviour.
“While there will inevitably be scrutiny as players, coaches and match officials get used to the process, we are implementing this progressive and protective measure because it is the right thing to do for players, whose representatives have actively contributed to the process.”
World Rugby Director of Rugby and High Performance Joe Schmidt added: “Despite the disruption of the global pandemic, the review process, which started last March, has been highly-collaborative with excellent contributions across the multi-disciplinary group. The Head Contact Process will be regularly reviewed with the ambition to ensure it continues to reflect and support the current playing landscape.”
High Tackle Sanction Framework Review Group members:
Bernard Laporte (Chair), Conrad Smith and David Quinlan (IRP), Richie Gray, Dave Rennie and Gregor Townsend (coaches), Wayne Barnes and Jaco Peyper (referees), Christopher Quinlan QC and David Barnes (judicial and citing), Dr Martin Raftery and Professor Ross Tucker (medical and research), Alan Gilpin, Joe Schmidt, Mark Harrington, Dr Éanna Falvey, Joël Jutge (WR Head of Referees), Paddy O’Brien (WR Referee Department), Yvonne Nolan, Steve Hinds, Rhys Jones and Dominic Rumbles (World Rugby).
Whilst going some way to help in the game’s crisis regarding head injuries, this is an abdication responsibility of huge proportions. Much more could and should be done to prevent such injuries and will in no way encourage parents of children to play the game as the judicial class action gets under way. Compulsory headgear, total abolition of all above waist impact (as apposed to smother) tackles, of aerial challenges to kick catchers, and of impact “finisher” subs and the eradication of more than one pick-and-drive in any unbroken phase of play close to the goal-line, where legal (grasping with arms) tackles are standard. These law changes, combined with more to limit aerial ping-pong and kicking to the corner from Free and Penalty kicks, eradicate ghost and decoy runners in front of the ball will not only make the game safe in this era of collision rugby, but would also bring back some of the beauty of the running game and reverse the public’s utter boredom with some of what is served as sporting entertainment today. It will also make the game more attractive to children and their parents again and halt the decline and possible disappearance of the game from schools around our nations.
should read “illegal tackles without arms are standard”…