Head Contact Process – Where To From Here?

There is plenty of frustration around High Tackles and Head Contact in Rugby. Shaun tackles the United Rugby Championship and Premiership Rugby after this weekends issues.

Under the World Rugby Head Contact Process it is outlined how to deal with contact to the head. I feel that it has been handled relatively well however this past weekend saw four incidents that concerned me a touch and left more questions than answers.

Below is the frame work that is used which is hyperlinked to World Rugby’s Head Contact Process.

 

Bulls v Ulster – United Rugby Championship:

As I mentioned in the RugbyBitsPod, I struggle to understand how both these collisions/pieces of foul play result in the same sanction. For me, Marcell Coetzee is lucky not to get a red card here as I feel he makes direct contact to the head.

A few pundits were shocked at Kieran Treadwell receiving a card for his actions and since recording the RugbyBitsPod I re-watched and prepared these clips and can see how it is a yellow where I would have been happy with a penalty before having another look.

Here is the incident live:

And the slow motion:

 

I still think that Arendse’s head rocks forward from the impact as opposed to direct contact to the head, however Treadwell does ride up, Yellow Card seems the right sanction.

Marcell Coetzee’s incident is however direct contact to the head, is there significant enough mitigating factors to drop it down to a yellow? I am not so sure.

Live and full speed:

Slow Motion:

 

 

Northampton Saints v Bristol Bears – Premiership Rugby:

To further muddy the waters we have these two tackles that resulted in nothing more than a penalty. I have pulled out the live action, slow motion and Karl Dickson’s reasoning behind what sanction he gave. Basically what we have here are two clear cut red cards which have somehow been given as penalties

 

Dan Biggar – Northampton Saints:

 

Fitz Harding – Bristol Bears:

 

In closing, if we had to score both these referee’s and TMO’s on this I would give Andrea Piardi and his team 50%, I do feel that Marcell Coetzee could have got a red card. As for Karl Dickson and his team that would be a straight 0% on the calls made.