EEverybody makes mistakes. Apparently even the occasional misprint has crept into the Guardian. We are all human and rugby union is a notoriously imperfect sport. But it has to be said that Rugby Football Union has had better weeks. On a self-defeating scale of one to ten, the general consensus is that the game’s keepers in England have at best scored a big fat zero.
It was such a howl that some simply treat it as an aberration. Maybe it was just a prank. But when you release a bombastic statement from the RFU Council – in this case announcing a tentative ban on above-waist tackling at almost all levels in England from this summer – it’s crucial to get the fine print right. Flapping out an “apology” a few days later while community play was in turmoil and claiming that the word “waist” should have been “navel” was akin to trying to dab a dab of petroleum jelly on an amputated leg .
Because it seemed to confirm exactly what counties have been murmuring for some time: those responsible are in touch with their constituents. Suddenly it was no longer about a safer tackle technique, but about something even more emotional and fundamental: preserving the game itself. Just at the moment when the RFU had to be particularly careful and sweep the base, the governing body made a spectacular mistake.
Normally, it would take more than a monumental PR disaster to bring about a revolution. But this is a sport already walking a precarious tightrope, with a legal chasm to its left and stark financial reality to its right. Stuck in the middle is a game in dire need of making better decisions, demonstrating more vision, and regaining lost respect.
As Welsh rugby union has noted, there is a limit to public compassion and patience when high-profile organizations are stuck in the past, poorly run or lack empathy. Some of the claims about the “toxic culture” that existed at WRU are so deeply uncomfortable that restoring trust will be neither quick nor easy.
But honestly, this is the moment when everyone needs to think about the bigger picture and acknowledge that better leadership off the field is only the second most important item on the game’s wish list. In addition, rugby needs to become safer for those who love it and more appealing for those who have yet to be converted. Those two things might once have been separate goals, but not when there are multiple legal actions claiming the sport could and should have done more to protect players from the risk of serious future long-term health problems.
This is where the RFU should come from. Why it chose to start early and ahead of everyone else at the front of the duel isn’t entirely clear yet, but perception must have been a factor. Make it seem like you’re ahead of the ‘safety curve’ and it’s harder to prove in court that the opposite might have been the case.
But in the end, they all have basically the same goal. Everyone wants the game’s retired heroes to enjoy a healthy, happy old age. Nobody wants to see nauseous headaches, brain injuries, and permanent life-changing ailments. We all want a game for all ages, all sizes and all comers. And as the adult male game numbers drop, there is a finite amount of time in which to find a way out of the maze.
Australia’s Charlotte Caslick meets Ivamere Nabura in Sunday’s HSBC Sydney Sevens. Caslick received a yellow card in the tournament against France. Photo: Steven Markham/AAP
So forget the fuss and snippy PR and focus on the obvious obvious. Let everyone know, regardless of skill level, that all tackles must aim below the breastbone. And make it clear that reforming the tackle field isn’t just about the tackler, it’s also about the ball carrier. If the latter dives too deep, the risk of heads banging increases, regardless of the size of the tackler. A particularly good example came over the weekend with Australian sevens star Charlotte Caslick. Caslick received a yellow card after her French opponent ducked into her crouched challenge. Otherwise, the impact would have been around the navel, which is where everyone is now told to aim.
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However, asking ball carriers to walk more upright into contact risks an increase in the very kind of head collisions the game is trying to avoid. And as Harlequins rugby director Tabai Matson points out, it’s not even the most difficult area in the modern professional game. That dubious crown goes to the point of collapse – the brutal evictions, the jackal’s exposed neck, the opportunity for a dominant “hit” – where, exactly what is highlighted in slow motion on TV, or not, is another lottery.
Until rugby union administrators can square this fiendishly complicated circle, trouble will continue in the mill. More penalties or free-kicks for dipping ball carriers, tighter monitoring of the jackler, and maybe even a cap on the number of five-yard lineout drives allowed… all of these need to at least be tested. Fewer replacements would also make for more fatigued bodies on the field. If not, maybe it’s time to consider a 12v12 game of rolling subs to create more space. In everything you do, think about the game as a whole. One rule for the haves and another for the have-nots isn’t exactly a rallying cry for a sport that aspires to a brighter, more enlightened future.
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