Rugby toughens laws for head contact.

MINIMUM sanction to be yellow. This basically takes discretion from the on-field officials and the TMO. The question "Penalty only then?" will be out the window. Just hope this does not lead to diving or, OTOH, officials ignoring some head shots. I do like that they will emphasise teaching kids to tackle around the waist.

Rugby toughens laws & penalties for contact with the head

DUBLIN — Any reckless or accidental contact with the head in matches will no longer be tolerated by World Rugby.
The governing body has redefined the law on illegal and high tackles, and increased sanctions to try and reduce the risk of injuries.
They will apply at all levels from Jan. 3, World Rugby announced on Wednesday.
A tackle or attempted tackle will be deemed reckless if the tackler knew or should have known there was a risk of making contact with the head, and did so anyway. It applies even if the tackle started below the shoulders. It includes neck rolls. The minimum sanction is a yellow card, and the maximum a red.
A tackle or attempted tackle will be deemed accidental if a tackler made accidental contact with the head, even if the tackle started below the shoulders. It includes where the ball-carrier slips into the tackle. The minimum sanction is a penalty.
World Rugby ordered referees in early November, before the bulk of the autumn tests, to be stricter on contact above the shoulders. But there were instances in tests, notably the Ireland-New Zealand match in Dublin, where the on-field sanctioning appeared lenient.
The zero-tolerance approach follows research from 2012-15 of more than 600 head injury assessments in 1,516 elite-level matches around the world. The research showed 76 per cent of all head injuries occurred in tackles, an injury to the tackler was 2 1/2 times more likely than to the ball-carrier, and tackle height was a contributing factor.
World Rugby said it will be teaching bent-at-the-waist tackling as the best position for injury prevention, and it will check the practicality of a closed trial of a lower tackle height at age-grade level next year.

http://www.metronews.ca/sports/2016/...-the-head.html

going to be interesting watching this implemented.

neck rolls being given a minimum of a yellow is fine by me.

but the ball carrier slipping in a tackle & causing it to go higher = a yellow is interesting.
Mandating that the defending team will be at a min penalised for the ball carrier slipping into the tackle is interesting though. Could make players more hesitant to commit to the tackle, and yeah, taking the dive to look at drawing a yellow.

i wonder how fast the kiwis will milk a penalty in their attacking 22 out of this new rule. I'd wager the determining factor will be who gets the ball after the kickoff.

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Originally Posted by jono

going to be interesting watching this implemented.

neck rolls being given a minimum of a yellow is fine by me.

but the ball carrier slipping in a tackle & causing it to go higher = a yellow is interesting.
Mandating that the defending team will be at a min penalised for the ball carrier slipping into the tackle is interesting though. Could make players more hesitant to commit to the tackle, and yeah, taking the dive to look at drawing a yellow.

i wonder how fast the kiwis will milk a penalty in their attacking 22 out of this new rule. I'd wager the determining factor will be who gets the ball after the kickoff.

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I really hope this doesn't lead to rugby players learning from the AFL to drop their knees when tackled in an attempt to draw head high contact...

I understand the reason behind trying to minimise head injuries, but this is completely ridiculous and might open the door to theatrics to get into our noble game.

Now this new rule will benefit good offloaders as they will have their hands free due to tacklers shying away from a chest level tackle to stop an offload.

I have played over 250 games of rugby and the only 2 times that I have been concussed were results of my head being in a wrong position whilst attempting a tackle. On the other side, I have been victim of several head high tackles and shoulder charges and never lost consciousness.

Those that follow NRL will know that this did in fact lead to diving. Some coaches, to their credit, put the spirit of the game first and instructed their charges not to. But still the NRL had to change the regulations to the effect that, on review, if the offence did not warrant a report, no on-field penalty can be applied. Ridiculous.
IMO the judgement should go the other way in some instances. If the player has blatantly dived, penalise him.

Yeah for sure, I understand we're only learning about the risks and consequences associated with concussion syndrome basically on the run. But FMD it's a contact sport.
Diving isn't on. Something Tom Carter would have done

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K0ts859I4w

Nigel Owens on diving during rugby

OK, so what occurs if the ball carrier blatantly headbutts the shoulder of the tackler?

Yellow card both ways?