Murphy apologises for ‘belittling’ player safety

Geordan Murphy, Leicester’s interim director of rugby, regrets saying that the game had gone “too PC” in the aftermath of the red card shown to Will Spencer on Sunday for a high tackle and believes instead that the scrutiny could be “a watershed moment” for the sport as it looks to reduce head injuries.

Murphy’s initial stance had drawn criticism from those who felt he was not taking the issue of player safety seriously.

“In the heat of the moment, and as a young head coach with no experience of that [TV interview] situation, I shot my mouth a little bit when I needed to sit back and absorb a few things,” said Murphy, who was disappointed that he may have sent out a worrying message.

“Yes, 100 per cent. It might seem I was taking a head injury lightly and that is not me in any way. Nor is it as a club at Leicester. We are united and want to be the best [at dealing] with head injuries. Stats will show that.

“We were the top side last season for immediate removals. We had nine in the Premiership. Some teams had none. We took 20 guys off for testing and only two returned: 10 per cent when the average is 50 per cent. As a coach, I preach looking after players. Their safety is paramount. We do not put guys back out if there is any risk.

“I felt that my comments might have belittled the laws and that was not my intention. We all have to accept the bigger picture. Rugby has changed and for the better. It could well be a watershed moment.”

Murphy did not attend the RFU disciplinary hearing on Tuesday that spent five hours deliberating before handing down a four-week ban to Spencer.

“It’s a bitter pill but we have to accept it as that is the law,” said Murphy. “So, we accept the decision. By the letter of the law it is a red card. We’ll work in training on improving our standards.

“Hopefully, we won’t come up on the wrong side of it again. The authorities who make the rules are not changing rules for the sake of it, they are doing it for player safety. We’re on board with that. We hope now that we will see consistency.”

Murphy was promoted to interim head coach only a fortnight ago when Matt O’connor was sacked.

“It’s been a very steep learning curve for me,” said Murphy. “I learnt at the weekend that I probably need to go back, have a cup of coffee and just chill out before I get in front of the TV cameras.”