Differences between the two codes of rugby

SmallTown

SmallTown

Well-known member
Watching Leeds v Wigan and one thing has stuck me. There is a huge difference between high tackles and how they are dealt with in both codes.

In Union:
After a high tackle - a ten minute conversation ensues between the ref and the TMO. Words like mitigation and intent are used. The ref starts thinking the offending player should be banned for a year. This can be reduced to the red card if the TMO says "I'll show you it from this angle" enough times. If the offending player actually started his tackle on his knees, has never been booked in his career, and buys his opponent flowers this is reduced to a yellow card.

In League:
After a high tackle: both players stand up, shrug and one of them says " 'appen"

I know head injuries in rugby are a serious issue but I do think the union rules have gone too far
 
Steve Thompson - world cup winner in 2003 for England, has dementia. He cant even remember playing in the World Cup finals. Probably all linked with blows to the head. He is only 42. There are loads of others in similiar situations.

I am a Rugby fan, and the England WC win was one of the best sporting results that I have enjoyed. To think that some key players in that are suffering like that is awful.

Whether Union has gone too far with their rules or not - I dont know. But only a few years ago, almost no thought was given to head injuries.
 
You've got to remember no mauling or rucking in league..

Scrum is head and feed (it's essentially not a scrum).

So there's far less head banging.
 
Alvez_48 said:
You've got to remember no mauling or rucking in league..

Scrum is head and feed (it's essentially not a scrum).

So there's far less head banging.
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Rugby League doesn't even have head and feed scrums at this time, its a hand over of possession - scrums may be re-introduced later in the season should there be a let up in the covid pandemic
 
Alvez_48 said:
You've got to remember no mauling or rucking in league..

Scrum is head and feed (it's essentially not a scrum).

So there's far less head banging.
Click to expand...
That's true, but of course the impacts are bigger in league, and they really aren't policing the high tackle like union.
 
The pace of league is much higher and it's not unusual for three players to absolutely smash into the opposition ball carrier.

In Union the fact one team can dominate possession forcing the other into lots of tackles means tackling is a bigger issue. It means for a sustained period two sets of massive players are hitting each other with force. The tackle is rightly focused more.
 
Centralscrutinizer said:
Union are taking head injuries seriously. League aren't, yet ?
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It may be that way round yes. It's odd isn't it. I get it's a safety thing and head injuries are so serious but the new protocols are totally ruining the game of rugby. The time of stoppages and amount of red cards is just destroying games. I guess we just have to accept that the sport will be reduced in quality in the interests of safety
 
SmallTown said:
It may be that way round yes. It's odd isn't it. I get it's a safety thing and head injuries are so serious but the new protocols are totally ruining the game of rugby. The time of stoppages and amount of red cards is just destroying games. I guess we just have to accept that the sport will be reduced in quality in the interests of safety
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It's a problem similar to VAR in football. Having said that I thought the stoppages in some of the recent 6 Nations games added to the drama.
 
SmallTown said:
It may be that way round yes. It's odd isn't it. I get it's a safety thing and head injuries are so serious but the new protocols are totally ruining the game of rugby. The time of stoppages and amount of red cards is just destroying games. I guess we just have to accept that the sport will be reduced in quality in the interests of safety
Click to expand...
It's not really odd, the scrum in Rugby League hasn't been the trial of strength for a long, long time and rucking doesn't happen at all, far fewer events for the permitted clashing of heads.

When the high tackle was campaigned against the main injury examples highlighted were those to the neck and immediately following the tackle, not repetitive injuries such as those sustained in the scrum over many seasons, and in the case of football, repetitively heading a heavy ball.
 
Centralscrutinizer said:
It's a problem similar to VAR in football. Having said that I thought the stoppages in some of the recent 6 Nations games added to the drama.
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Maybe they do when you're watching it on telly. When you're in a cold stand and all you can see is a ref holding his hand to his ear it's not so much fun.

I know things need to change, I'm just pointing out it's making watching the game worse. Much less fun
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
It's not really odd, the scrum in Rugby League hasn't been the trial of strength for a long, long time and rucking doesn't happen at all, far fewer events for the permitted clashing of heads.

When the high tackle was campaigned against the main injury examples highlighted were those to the neck and immediately following the tackle, not repetitive injuries such as those sustained in the scrum over many seasons, and in the case of football, repetitively heading a heavy ball.
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Which makes it even stranger that union is addressing the issue and league isn't
 
SmallTown said:
It's specifically about the changes to the high tackle rules.
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A high tackle can be a penalty, a yellow card or a red card . . . seems a sensible approach having suffered many head injuries in a 25+ year playing career.

Red Card
  • Shoulder charge (no arms tackle) direct to the head or neck of the ball carrier, and mitigation is not applied
  • High tackle with any contact between the tackler’s shoulder or head and the Ball Carrier’s head or neck, with high degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
  • High tackle with first contact from the tackler’s arm, direct to the BC’s head or neck, with high degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
Yellow Card
  • Any red card offence where mitigation is applied (as per framework)
  • Shoulder charge to the body (no head or neck contact), with high degree of danger
  • High tackle with any contact between the tackler’s shoulder or head and the BC’s head or neck, with low degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
  • High tackle with first contact from the tackler’s arm, direct to the BC’s head or neck with low degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
  • High tackle with first contact from the tackler’s arm, which starts elsewhere on the body and then slips or moves up to the BC’s head or neck, with high degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
Penalty
  • Any yellow card offence where mitigation is applied (as per framework)
  • Shoulder charge to the body (no head or neck contact), with low degree of danger
  • High tackle with first contact from the tackler’s arm, which starts elsewhere on the body and then slips or moves up to the BC’s head or neck, with low degree of danger and no mitigating factors
  • High tackle with first contact above or over the shoulder of the ball carrier, but without contact to the head or neck of the ball carrier during the execution of the tackle (seat belt tackle)
 
bear66 said:
A high tackle can be a penalty, a yellow card or a red card . . . seems a sensible approach having suffered many head injuries in a 25+ year playing career.

Red Card
  • Shoulder charge (no arms tackle) direct to the head or neck of the ball carrier, and mitigation is not applied
  • High tackle with any contact between the tackler’s shoulder or head and the Ball Carrier’s head or neck, with high degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
  • High tackle with first contact from the tackler’s arm, direct to the BC’s head or neck, with high degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
Yellow Card
  • Any red card offence where mitigation is applied (as per framework)
  • Shoulder charge to the body (no head or neck contact), with high degree of danger
  • High tackle with any contact between the tackler’s shoulder or head and the BC’s head or neck, with low degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
  • High tackle with first contact from the tackler’s arm, direct to the BC’s head or neck with low degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
  • High tackle with first contact from the tackler’s arm, which starts elsewhere on the body and then slips or moves up to the BC’s head or neck, with high degree of danger, and mitigation is not applied
Penalty
  • Any yellow card offence where mitigation is applied (as per framework)
  • Shoulder charge to the body (no head or neck contact), with low degree of danger
  • High tackle with first contact from the tackler’s arm, which starts elsewhere on the body and then slips or moves up to the BC’s head or neck, with low degree of danger and no mitigating factors
  • High tackle with first contact above or over the shoulder of the ball carrier, but without contact to the head or neck of the ball carrier during the execution of the tackle (seat belt tackle)
Click to expand...
Yeah this is the issue. All that discussion n mitigation and the subsequent red cards are killing the game. I'm not saying they aren't worthy I'm just saying they are damaging the game as a spectacle. As I pointed out in the OP league just isn't doing this at all and it's much more exciting for it. Should league follow suit?
 
Perhaps Union are deflecting attention away from where the real issue is, so as not to have to address it, that being the scrum and ruck?

Here's a study made on injuries during tackling in Rugby League..

www.researchgate.net

Nature of Tackles That Result in Injury in Professional Rugby League | Request PDF

Request PDF | Nature of Tackles That Result in Injury in Professional Rugby League | A total of 31,655 tackles in 48 professional rugby league matches were coded from video for height and direction of tackle on the ball carrier.... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate
www.researchgate.net www.researchgate.net
 
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