Nigel Owens believes the Rugby Championship's decision to introduce a 20-minute red card is wrong, but he also insists players should not be sent off for accidental head collisions if they have done everything possible to make a legal tackle.
Owens believes some sense can be brought to rugby's confused disciplinary lottery amid a backdrop of legal action against governing bodies from players suffering the effects of brain damage. You can read more on that legal case here.
The summer internationals saw a raft of controversial decisions, with some players dismissed and others let off for seemingly similar infringements around the tackle area.
Read more : Red cards, yellow cards, citings and confusion - rugby on a precipice after summer controversies
Owens claims introducing the 20-minute red card, which allows teams to replace a red-carded player after 20 minutes, is akin to slashing the punishment for speeding. He says it will significantly reduce the deterrent to players around illegal tackles.
But he is calling for an end to red cards for accidental collisions, saying it is impossible to play a game of rugby without them happening.
During a lively debate with fans, Owens said: "The deterrent to change player behaviour is much more effective if the team is down to 14 men for the rest of the game than if it is just for 20 minutes. Drop the speeding fines to a few quid and one point on your licence and you won't be as careful keeping to the speed limit."
He warned supporters: "You won't have a game for fans to go to if we don't change these reckless/careless tackles that can cause serious head injury. If you're happy to have entertainment before player safety then that's disappointing."
Noting the fact Ireland's Andrew Porter escaped a red card and saw a citing case thrown out for a high hit that broke Brodie Retallick's cheek just a couple of weeks ago, Owens added: "Porter should have been a red card. Players don't need to do that type of action in the game. All he had to do was dip to make the tackle. He had plenty of time to do so. That's what needs changing, not a 20 minute red card to paper over the cracks. It takes away the deterrent of a red card in my view and does not help with getting change in player behaviour when it comes to the issue of reckless/careless tackles that make contact with the head area. This is not helpful with the drive for player safety."
Do you think the 20-minute red card is a good or bad idea? Have your say in the comments section here.
However, he went on: "What is sensible is that players should NOT be sent off for unavoidable accidental head contact . A red card should be for an act of thuggery, recklessness or downright stupidity or total carelessness which he or she could have avoided. It’s impossible to have a game of rugby without sometimes contact being made to the head when no one is at fault. If it’s a complete accident and no one’s at fault it should not be a red card."
The 20-minute red card will be used during the Rugby Championship after SANZAAR decided to reintroduce the law trial despite it being rejected by World Rugby for a global rollout.
The ruling has been used for the past three Super Rugby seasons and in last year’s Rugby Championship but appeared to be going nowhere after World Rugby’s high-performance committee voted against it being rolled out in a global trial, a necessary step for the law to be adopted. As a result, the full 80-minute red card was used in July Test tours.
“This is a great decision for The Rugby Championship and follows on from its application in Super Rugby,” SANZAAR boss Brendan Morris said. “As a group we firmly believe the integrity of international matches is very important and that wherever possible matches must be a contest of 15 versus 15.
“SANZAAR stands alongside World Rugby’s important work on managing foul play and player welfare and will conduct a formal research project across the 2022 TRC period with all comparative findings to be shared with World Rugby at the end of the season. The aim is to gather the necessary information that allows the 20-minute red card trial to be accepted into the full laws of the game in the future.”
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