Solution suggested for RWC shambles
Former All Black Kees Meeuws believes a rugby league-style ‘report’ system is the answer to eradicating the high-tackle drama playing out in this year’s Rugby World Cup.
At the halfway mark of an otherwise entertaining tournament in Japan, World Rugby’s clampdown on head and neck contact has made for some controversial refereeing decisions.
Already, the 2019 event has had five red cards – the most in World Cup history – while yellow cards and penalties are being regularly dished out for some seemingly innocuous tackles, but which fall under the new strict laws.
Just how to tackle a low ballcarrier legally now is a question for all coaches to work out, including the All Blacks’ Steve Hansen, after seeing two of his props – Nepo Laulala and Ofa Tuungafasi – sinbinned in their 71-9 pool B victory over Namibia in Tokyo on Sunday.
While those incidents weren’t going to be enough to affect New Zealand’s chances in such a romp, come a vital knockout game there could be dire consequences for a team if someone does happen to tip-toe over the very thin line of the law. And that’s where Meeuws’ views come in.
Apart from the obvious red card offences which must be punished, the former 42-test prop feels the game should do its best to retain a spectacle by keeping 15 players from each team on the field, then have the incidents ruled on post-match, if they warrant further investigation.
‘‘I think the whole rugby community is a bit bamboozled by the amount of red cards coming out,’’ Meeuws told Stuff.
‘‘It is World Rugby’s mandate to get rid of the high tackle, but I think there should be other ways.
‘‘If they go on report, they continue the game, and they get judged after the game.
‘‘If it’s a blatant red card where someone’s just maliciously taken someone out, then that’s definitely a red card. But if it’s a 50/50 call, why wouldn’t you put someone on report and have a look at it after the game and then you could talk about it with the judicial panel, or whether all the referees get together after the game and review it.
‘‘A lot of things look horrendously bad when you slow it down to points of a second. When you watch anything in live time it doesn’t look as bad as when you freeze frame.
‘‘I know that you can’t do anything about it for this World Cup . . . but in the bigger games it’s going to cost teams big time.’’
Former All Blacks coach John Hart echoed those views.
‘‘I think the yellow and red cards will destroy the tournament,’’ he told Stuff. ‘‘I think league has got it right in terms of putting it on report and dealing with it that way.
‘‘Everyone understands the need to protect the head. You can’t blame the referees, they’re under instructions. When the head comes into contact they have to take action.
‘‘There should have been far more flexibility and each case should be judged on its merits, in terms of players lowering in the tackle, as we saw last night [in the All Blacks v Namibia match].
‘‘It’s too late to change it, they’ve got themselves in this position by having a pretty rigid approach to it, and I think the rigidity is going to cause some issues.
‘‘It already has. They’re hoisting with their own petard, really. Hopefully they might be just told to be a bit more lenient on how they handle cards.’’