Paul Lewis: Rugby’s ‘new normal’ – Why unpopular changes in sport are inevitable

Rugby is heading for “a new normal,” writes Paul Lewis. photo / file

OPINION:

The Guardian interview with ex-English amateur rugby player Alex Abbey raises sentiments that may persuade anyone who loves rugby (even in its current form) to embrace this change
inevitable – unpopular change.

Now 55 non-elite players in the UK have taken legal action against the RFU, Wales Rugby and World Rugby, a second major lawsuit after many elite players including former All Black professional Carl Hayman.

The amateurs accuse the rugby bodies of negligence in protecting them from brain injuries during playing careers. They say they have suffered a range of neurological impairments as a result of concussions and sub-concussive blows they received while playing sports.

Abbey says he has suffered 18 concussions, now sometimes loses control of bladder and bowel functions and suspects he has CTE (a diagnosis can only be confirmed post mortem) – ruining his life and that of his family. In the interview, he refers to recent comments from England striker Courtney Lawes, who said: “Generally it’s your genetics that will determine if you get things like dementia and things like that, how much you drink, other leisure activities and how healthy you keep yourself in later life”.

Abbey countered, “I wasn’t drinking. I haven’t done drugs. I have never smoked a cigarette. Between the ages of 12 and 21, I wouldn’t have drunk more than a dozen times. The boys at the university used to think it was funny. i never liked it I still don’t have alcohol in the house.”

He says he’s primarily a Christmas drinker, drinking maybe half a dozen times a year. “So next they’re going to say it’s ‘just bad luck’ that everything is hereditary. But we have no history of dementia in the family, either side.” He says his father is just starting to show signs now that he is 75. “The truth is that my illness cannot be attributed to anything other than playing rugby.”

When you see that, and acknowledge the medical consensus that most forms of dementia, with the exception of some very rare versions, are not hereditary (although some people are more susceptible than others), you really start to accept that rugby needs to change, too if the science for finding the exact cause does not yet exist.

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Even if the changes ordered by the RFU (on the same day as the announcement of the amateurs’ lawsuit) at first glance appear self-harming for the sport.

Starting July 1st, tacklers in the UK community game will only be able to attack from the waist down. The RFU cited studies showing higher contact on the ball carrier and closer proximity of the ball carrier’s and tacklers’ heads are associated with larger headbutts – and an increased risk of concussion.

Could below-waist tackles become the norm in the future? Photo / Warren Buckland

“Lowering the height of the tackle and encouraging the tackler to bend more at the waist minimizes the risk of this occurring while the tackle remains an integral part of the game,” the RFU statement said.

“Ball carriers are also encouraged to follow the principle of dodging, which is a mainstay of the game to avoid late dipping and thereby avoid a situation where a bent tackler is at increased risk of head-to-head contact could be exposed to the ball carrier by a late or sudden change in the height of the ball carrier.”

The evasion principle? What does that actually mean – and how will judges and others oversee a move that may not be far off from becoming part of the elite game?

The latest data available states that 29 percent of (elite game) head injuries are suffered by the ball carrier and 71 percent by the tackler. Commissioning tackles below the waist puts the tackler in more contact with the knees and hips – the two biggest culprits of tackler head injuries.

Here are some other possible effects of forcing tackle heights below the waist:

• Weaker defense, perhaps to the point where the current dominance of defense is completely overshadowed by offense.
• Offloads, where tacklers can’t aim the ball to jog it loosely, are becoming more common. Basketball-like results can be achieved in some games.
• Skills like the shoulder bump – when a ball carrier paints a shoulder drop to deflect a tackler – are prohibited.
• It could bring more red cards – like the one suffered by All Black propsman Angus Ta’avao, who was sent off for inappropriate tackle height against Ireland, although it clearly appeared to be an accident. Ball carrier Garry Ringrose changed direction at the last moment, contributing to the head-to-head collision. How does this scenario fit into the “principle of circumvention”?
• The universally unpopular rolling maw could become an even more common method of scoring tries, although it could go the other way as teams see more gain in getting the ball far.
• It could open the door for more smaller players, with an emphasis on dodging rather than brute force.

There is more; The new laws in the next UK rugby season will be closely monitored. While we die-hard rugby players love the game and its physical side, reading Abbey’s story makes it clear that rugby is heading towards ‘a new normal’.

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It will be a sea change – but it will eventually outlive the grievances of those who are unhappy with it.