Too many professionals still don’t know proper tackle technique
DEFENCE expert Dave Ellis has warned rugby’s concussion problem will never go away unless tackling techniques improve.
The former France national coach, who is hoping to transform the fortunes of Championship strugglers Rotherham in a part-time consultancy role, has worked with some of the game’s best defenders.
But the number of toplevel players unable to tackle with both shoulders continues to astound the no-nonsense Yorkshireman.
Ellis told TRP: “Morgan Parra got concussed for Clermont the other week because he tackled with his ‘weaker’ shoulder and got his head in the wrong place. There’s an international, half-back only comfortable tackling with one shoulder.
“It shouldn’t be the responsibility of a defence coach to teach international players how to tackle with both shoulders, which is what I’ve often had to do.
“You’ve got a generation of players where that is the case, which is ridiculous. You wouldn’t expect a player to only pass one way, so why should they only tackle with one shoulder?
“In French rugby they’ve got a protocol for scrummaging that applies to all levels. Players going into the front row have got to have a premiere ligne licence before they can scrummage.
“There’s been a big focus on the scrum because players can get seriously injured. But tackling needs the same level of attention.
“Nowadays you might only have ten scrums in a game whereas each side will make, on average, between 100 and 150 tackles.
“We are neglecting an area where collisions are bigger because of the size and strength of the players.
“Some research came out the other day that said around three-quarters of concussions are related to the tackle – not the tackled player but the tackler.”
Ellis believes that rather than banning tackling in schools, an opinion recently aired, it should start at a younger age.
“Players need to be taught at a young age, so it is ingrained. If you go to my former RL club, Oulton Raiders, you’ll see kids of four and five tackling. That’s not the case in French RU.
“If a tackling protocol was put in place when kids first play then they’d have perfect technique by the time they were professionals. You’d be able to identify if players were right or lefthanded, left or right-footed or a combination of the two which makes a difference from a technical viewpoint.
“I worked with a hooker at Brive and Lyon who was right-handed and rightfooted and was 100 per cent confident tackling on that side but had zero confident with his left shoulder. He’d was a pro for 15 years and had to retire because of a neck injury.”
Rotherham put in the tackles in a five-point loss to Ealing last week to raise spirits at Clifton Lane and Ellis is hopeful the bonuspoint will act as a catalyst for climbing the table.
“We need to build on that performance. We’ve got an interesting game down at Bristol next weekend and then two must-win home games against Jersey and London Scottish. If we win both of those, we’ll be right back in it.”