Rugby is rooted in treating the symptoms and not the cause in trying to drastically reduce the incidence of brain injuries sustained during matches. It is fast approaching a point where it will threaten future participation levels.
I stress the “brain injury” terminology so that the stark appraisal does not get lost in softer, more appeasing jargon in much the same way that paying for the “green agenda” is somehow used to distract from the climate disaster that is happening in front of our eyes, as you read, and I type.
Concussion is the cuddlier expression but there is nothing warm, just fuzzy, in terms of the after effects of brain trauma on a rugby pitch. There is no sign that the message is sinking in among coaches and players based on the evidence of matches. Rugby cannot kick this issue down the road any further or any longer.
Every time that you see a player taking an extended playing sabbatical following a brain injury it offers a reminder that there remains a substantial road to travel
I read over the weekend that England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup winning hooker Steven Thompson, someone I played against many times, struggles to remember his wife’s name. His story lays bare the horrifying effects of repeated brain trauma while playing rugby and how it has severely compromised his faculties post career. No player would sign on that dotted line as a trade-off for winning a few trophies.
Every time that you see a player taking an extended playing sabbatical following a brain injury it offers a reminder that there remains a substantial road to travel to try and guarantee that these issues are less commonplace and ensure a general non acceptance that potential brain trauma is somehow collateral damage for playing the sport.
Even though the number of red and yellow cards is increasing and looks set to break all previous records, it is concerning that behaviour isn’t changing; or at least not substantially and quickly enough. The good news is that high and dangerous tackles are being highlighted, and for the most part punished, but at some point it would be great to see a drop off in volume.
Scars
Everyone must take ownership of this problem, from head coaches to defence coaches to players, because it does not appear that the disciplinary process is acting as a deterrent for offenders, repeat or otherwise.
Watching the Last Dance, the Netflix documentary on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls basketball team in the 1997-1998 season, again recently I was struck by an argument between Jordan and the Bulls general manager Jerry Krause about who wins championships. Krause insisted that players do not win anything without an organisation behind them.
I make no bones about coming down in favour of players in any discussion. I have the scars and experience of my playing days to draw upon. Protecting players is the most important item on the table in any sport.
Talk of the spectacle being ruined under a welter of cards annoys me intensely because the message is getting lost somewhere along the way for coaches, players, and supporters. In the early part of my career, I had team-mates who were essentially penalty machines, blatant and consistent offenders. It was incredibly frustrating watching hard-earned points being eroded one transgression at a time.
The overwhelming question was why they behaved like this. Winning one moment that a referee misses in no way compensates for the previous five or six incidents. Players of that ilk eventually became a liability and teams stopped using them, consigning that style of player to history.
Tackle technique
There is no doubt that the majority of the foul play instances are accidental rather than laced with malice but until tackle technique improves then everyone who transgresses gets tarred and feathered in the same manner. There will be some unlucky players but there cannot be a let-up in trying to eradicate as much as possible the high shot from the game.
Players that are red carded for avoidable head collisions have shown an element of neglect for team-mates and have jeopardised the outcome of the match. The most recent example is Ulster replacement tighthead prop Tom O’Toole. The apologists will shout that it was accidental but if O’Toole had not received a red card, then Rob Herring might have.
Ulster were the beneficiaries of a red card ruling the previous weekend when Toulouse wing Juan Cruz Mallia correctly received his marching orders for a dangerous collision with an airborne Ben Moxham. They saw first-hand how a moment of poor judgment can wipe away in an instant all the pre-game plans and tactics.
The context of the tackle is important. Ulster were in this match, trailing by just three points and the incident arose from a restart, where a yard here or there was not going to have a meaningful impact on the next phase of play; so why tackle high?
Watching on, it was clear to see how players tend to lead with their chest or the front of their shoulder but from an upright position. Has this been encouraged by coaches, or has it evolved into a lazy technique from an effective one, that for example from my own experience Les Kiss deployed on occasion with Ireland?
Tackling is an art
The idea behind the choke tackle was that if a player carried high, there would be a chance to swarm them and wrap up the ball to win a turnover. This has now become the default tackle rather than an opportune one.
Frustratingly from an Ulster perspective, as this collision unfolded Toulouse hooker Peato Mauvaka ended up ahead of where the ruck took place, so any sort of traditional tackle bringing Anthony Jelonch to ground quickly (and safely) would have given Rob Herring all rights to the ball.
Tackling is an art. Body height, getting your feet correctly underneath your body to maintain momentum, the hit and wrap all require practice but if successful you will guarantee to keep 15 players on the field and quite possibly still be in the Champions Cup in referencing Ulster’s fate directly.
The sanctions for high and negligent tackles must increase dramatically because we still have players being coached to set high
While players and coaches come to grips with the impact of what cards are doing to individual matches, World Rugby seems to be more worried about the enjoyment of the game for fans rather than the safety of players.
The proposed trial of the “20-minute red card”, whereby a team can replace a player sent off with another after the allotted time lapse is being driven by some stakeholders in the game. If this is what fans, sponsors and some coaches want then the post-match punishment structure must be ramped up appreciably.
The sanctions for high and negligent tackles must increase dramatically because we still have players being coached to set high. Losing players at entry point level for four to six weeks and then having it dropped to two to three weeks on foot of an act of contrition is disrespectful to all the players that have suffered head injuries.
Unless we begin to talk in months, I do not believe players and coaches will attempt to change tack. If a player who transgressed at the weekend was sidelined until mid-June, it would have a much greater impact on and off the field.
Change in command
This week will offer a measure of the character within the Ulster squad. The visit of Munster to Belfast in the United Rugby Championship on Friday night means that Ulster cannot afford to wallow in the disappointment of their European exit. While Dan McFarland’s squad played two extremely physical matches, Munster had the luxury of a relatively easy win in the second leg over Exeter.
I signalled the importance of this match several weeks ago. Ulster face into two very tough URC fixtures in Munster and Edinburgh, rivals for the playoffs. The next fortnight will go a long way to defining what is possible this season.
Munster are currently at the other end of the spectrum emotionally, bouncing along and playing some half decent footy. Conor Murray and Joey Carbery are playing more like their old selves, and I wonder if the change in command freed them ever so slightly.
It is a small thing, but it caught my eye in the build-up to Carbery’s try. From the penultimate ruck before Peter O’Mahony’s Ciarán Scally-esque dive pass, Murray changed direction without waiting for players to shuffle into position. Jack O’Donoghue reacted smartly, helping to create a quick ruck ball that enabled Carbery to dance over for a try.
I am reluctant to get too excited as we have been here before with Munster, a ray of light and then the ensuing performances that failed to meet the required level. Can this time be different? The freedom that Munster played with was encouraging to watch and a trip to Ravenhill would be the perfect backdrop to put some of that vulnerability to rest.
Ulster are bruised and smarting but will try to make home advantage count. They must find a way to perform, or a season’s work may unravel before their eyes.
The composition of the respective teams for Friday night lights in Belfast will reveal a mindset. Munster have the momentum, confidence and a slightly better tight five in the pack, all of which could see them cap a remarkable six days with a second victory.
