{"id":292081,"date":"2023-09-10T22:21:50","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T22:21:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=292081"},"modified":"2023-09-10T22:21:50","modified_gmt":"2023-09-10T22:21:50","slug":"alain-rolland-high-tackle-conundrum-means-players-will-risk-red-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/alain-rolland-high-tackle-conundrum-means-players-will-risk-red-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"ALAIN ROLLAND: High tackle conundrum means players will risk red cards"},"content":{"rendered":"
Fans watching the World Cup might be confused or surprised to see players continuing to try and tackle high despite the fact it comes with a great deal of risk.<\/p>\n
Tom Curry was sent off for England in their opening win over Argentina for making contact with the head of Juan Cruz Mallia. It means England have had three reds in their last four games and four in their last six. Players must understand the dangers that come with being upright in contact.<\/p>\n
A key point is that World Rugby has made absolutely no changes to the laws ahead of this tournament, so it\u2019s not like the teams are having to adapt to new rules.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been the case for years now that player safety is No 1. If a player makes head contact with the opposition, there is likely to be trouble for them. So, why does it keep happening? I think it\u2019s a player issue rather than a refereeing one.<\/p>\n
I work with World Rugby as a consultant to lots of different teams. A number of defensive coaches don\u2019t want the opposition to offload in the tackle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Tom Curry was sent off for England against Argentina after making contact with the head of Juan Cruz Mallia<\/p>\n
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England have now been shown three red cards in their last four games and four in their last six<\/p>\n
\u00a0To stop that and limit the opposition\u2019s attacking game, many teams work on the idea of one player tackling low and the other high to take the player down and stop them offloading the ball.<\/p>\n
Different teams use different techniques. When we give feedback to teams, we don\u2019t tell them to tackle a certain way. That\u2019s not our job. How they tackle is down to their coaches. All we can do is advise them to be careful with their approach.<\/p>\n
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There have been no chaning to the tackling rules by World Rugby ahead of this tournament, with player safety continuing to be a key priority<\/p>\n
Players have to be aware of the dangers of tackling high. It\u2019s the same if they go for the choke tackle which is also hitting around the chest area where the ball is carried but when the aim is to hold the player upright, wrap the ball up, and set up a maul. When that collapses, it\u2019s more often than not the defending team\u2019s scrum. That\u2019s why the choke tackle is seen as an option because if executed well it can turn over possession.<\/p>\n
The choke tackle and tackling around the chest can be very effective defensive strategies.<\/p>\n
On the other side of the coin, so too is tackling low. Like most things, you can argue for both sides.<\/p>\n
But irrespective of what option a player goes for, they have to be conscious of the welfare of the player they\u2019re tackling. If they make contact with their head and officials deem it to be foul play, a card is inevitable. It might be yellow and not red, but either way it will likely be costly to their team.<\/p>\n