Rugby has blurred the lines in battle with concussions

GREY areas in sport are what generate debate, spark conversations and give journalists plenty to write about.

But they can be a bit of a nightmare for officials and disciplinary panels.

If we lived in a world where grey areas did not exist, where every case of foul play on a rugby field was black or white, open or shut, then things would be a whole lot more straightforward for those with the whistle in their hand.

Alas, such a world does not exist.

And yet it did appear we were getting close to clarity when it came to players making contact with an opponent’s head.

With players getting bigger, collisions getting more ferocious and concussions becoming an increasingly hot topic in the sport, World Rugby took steps to make the sport safer.

Almost overnight, there was an immediate clamp-down on contact with the head, leaving players in no doubt that if they go above the shoulders, they’re seeing a card and more often than not a red one.

It simplified things for everyone involved. During their explanations to players, you now regularly hear referees say: ‘I’ve got no choice’.

When Nigel Owens sent off Cardiff Blues’ Taufa’ao Filise against Glasgow earlier this month, it got everyone talking – many of them criticising.

But if you listen to the way Owens reaches his decision, as soon as he sees Filise has made contact with George Turner’s head the Welshman feels there is no other option.

“The height of the player does not play a part,” Owens told Filise.

“When you lead (with the shoulder) like that and you make contact with the head, you have to take the consequences of it.

“Player safety comes before everything else. Off you go.”

The Blues prop pleaded guilty at a disciplinary hearing and was banned for three weeks.

When Manu Tuilagi was cited this week for a high tackle on Munster’s Chris Cloete, there was uproar among some pundits, explayers and even current players.

But you’d hope that many made those comments before realising that Tuilagi’s shoulder catches the Munster openside flush on the chin and not the chest.

It wasn’t obvious until it was slowed right down by some fans on social media, and it was missed by referee Mathieu Raynal and TMO Phillippe Bonhoure.

Tuilagi was cleared by a disciplinary panel this week with a statement reading: “The Committee found that Tuilagi had committed a reckless act of foul play in that his shoulder had made contact with Cloete’s head, however, the Committee was not satisfied that the offence had warranted a red card.”

Well, they just popped the lid on the can of worms.

The decision effectively decrees that driving a shoulder into the head of an opponent, with a considerable amount of force, is not an immediate red card.

That the above act occurred is not up for debate here. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the punishment, the disciplinary committee is ruling that Tuilagi’s shoulder connected with Cloete’s head. Whether it was intentional or not is irrelevant. End of.

You sense that had Raynal seen the incident at the time, Tuilagi would have walked. How often have we heard TMOs and referees talk themselves into believing they have no choice this season?

To be clear, you can produce a yellow card for reckless contact with the head of an opponent.

But if you re-read what Owens said to Filise, his words could have quite easily applied to the incident at Welford Road last weekend. The tackles are not dissimilar.

One difference? Turner left the field with a head injury and never returned whereas Cloete was able to continue.

Such decisions should never be made based on outcomes, though if the Munsterman had been left sprawled out on the floor we know things might have been different for Tuilagi.

Based on all the cases that have gone before, based on World Rugby’s examples of what constitutes a red card and based on the general acceptance that player safety is paramount, this decision blurs all lines.

It will no doubt have left some referees, and certainly Filise, scratching their heads.

The next time a player gets a red or receives a ban for a reckless high tackle, how long before a supporter or pundit proclaims ‘but Tuilagi...’?

An area of the game that appeared to be black or white has just turned grey.