Zero tolerance is only answer
Murphy learns the hard way that player safety always comes first
IT has been a rough few days for Geordan Murphy. The likeable Leicester coach has been excoriated for his flippant incredulity at the red card handed out to Will Spencer in Sunday’s loss to Wasps at the Ricoh Arena and, in particular, for his observation that rugby has gone ‘too PC’ and that the red card ‘killed the game’.
You would imagine, and hope, that Murphy (below) regrets those remarks now, for the reality is that the red card last Sunday, and the overall impetus behind coming down hard on dangerous play — especially in relation to the head area — could end up saving rugby.
Thrust into the lead role following the sudden axing of Matt O’Connor, Murphy’s rash outburst may also be attributed to the fact the former assistant coach is not accustomed to facing the media in the emotion-laden aftermath of high-profile matches.
He also comes from a culture where his distinguished Leicester playing career coincided with a period where success was founded on a group actively encouraged to play on the edge.
Times have changed. With the game never more physical and the ball in play for far longer, there has been a marked increase in serious head injuries and Dominic Ryan’s recent harrowing account of his concussion-related retirement from Leicester provides a sobering backdrop to this controversy.
With participation numbers down as parents rightly consider whether rugby is too dangerous for their children, player welfare is now paramount and the new safety-first attitude needs to be universally supported.
One thinks back to the infamous spear tackle on Lions captain Brian O’Driscoll against New Zealand in 2005. That was a careerthreatening injury, shocking to witness, and while Lions boss Clive Woodward did overplay his outrage afterwards, the Kiwi attitude of ‘man up and stop moaning’ was disconcerting in the extreme. As was some of the reaction to Alan Quinlan’s ban for making contact with the eye of Leinster’s Leo Cullen in Munster’s European Cup semi-final defeat in 2009. That cost Quinlan a place on the Lions tour to South Africa and some of his former Munster teammates ranted at the time about the ‘injustice’ of the decision and how rugby was ‘a man’s game’. The issue of intent tends to queer the pitch with these incidents. Quinlan did not set out to injure Cullen’s eye but that is irrelevant — if he had not been punished for his action (just as Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu were not for their hit on O’Driscoll when intent was never in question) what kind of message would it have sent out? Conversely, when Sam Warburton cost Wales a place in the 2011 World Cup final after being sent off for his spear tackle against France, the message was clear — this type of play will not be tolerated and players are now in no doubt that spear tackling is off limits. The issues of Spencer’s height (6ft7in) and the lack of intent were raised in objection last weekend but, again, were irrelevant. What is utterly relevant is that Spencer’s actions could have caused serious injury and his red card serves as the latest salutary lesson — with referee Ian Tempest carrying out his duties to the letter of the law. It was not just Murphy, Wasps coach Dai Young reckoned the red card was ‘harsh’ and you wonder would it have taken a serious injury to Taylor to get the message across that a zero-tolerance policy in the area of player protection is the only way forward?
There have been calls for a black card-type solution where the offending player could be replaced if their offence is deemed to be accidental — but you are then veering into the territory of trying to determine pre-meditation, an impossible exercise.
Far more workable are the moves to introduce a chest-high tackle law and it cannot come in soon enough.
You would hope the Spencer incident will teach Murphy, and all other coaches, the need to emphasise how players must now adjust their technique to stay away from the head area and a chest-tackle law would reinforce that prerogative.
Serious injury will always be a factor in a sport so defined by collision as rugby but at least the authorities are now aware of the need to limit it as much as possible.
A tough week for Murphy but a hugely encouraging one for player welfare.
Rugby can still be a man’s game, it just needs to be a far safer one.