Is ‘ref rage’ clouding judgement on the importance of player welfare?
This story is written by Progressive Rugby
One of the most common prefixes to messages we receive, inevitably triggered by a ‘dodgy’ decision or the award of the latest red or yellow card, is ‘Player welfare is important but…’.
It’s then usually followed by one of three phrases:
“What were they meant to do?”
“It ruined the match/robbed the fans.”
“Rugby’s a contact sport, accidents will happen.”
And it’s not surprising, because understandably the focus for fans is the match day product.
We all rightly want to see a competitive 80 minutes unsullied by cards/bad decisions.
But rugby is sailing in tempestuous waters, trying to negotiate its way to a distant but promised land. A land where a balance can be struck to ensure a hugely physical game can exist alongside an ever-evolving picture around player safety.
On the other side there are plenty too who feel the welfare ‘agenda’ and application of the laws is putting the very fabric of the game they love, a game that is sown into their very being, unnecessarily under threat as a spectacle.
And it’s not just the fans.
Jack Nowell has just been fined £10,000 after the RFU was riled by the France-bound winger tweeting a ref’s decision was the worst he had EVER seen. On this occasion, Nowell was the player that took the ‘team yellow’ with Joe Marler, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Henry Slade dodging the bullet for their transgressions.
it’s right to acknowledge that refs get criticised irrespective of whether they make the right or wrong call, so it’s easy to see why the RFU deemed it necessary to fire a warning shot across the bow to try and curb senior players - even inadvertently - helping fan the flames of discontent.
That said, it’s absolutely right that players should be allowed an opinion. It’s how that opinion is expressed is key.
For example, had Nowell’s tweet had read: ‘I'm actually in shock, like shock shocked. What the hell is happening? That's one of the worst laws ever. EVER" it’s unlikely to have been an issue. Criticise the law, not the ref who had applied the law correctly.
For our part, Progressive Rugby recognise that rugby needs to retain its core physicality. It’s an integral element to the spectacle, and also what many of those in the community game are attracted to.
But despite popular belief, our group has no interest in dumbing down rugby. The game’s exceptional physicality, especially at elite level, is part of what makes it so joyous, so intriguing, so bloody moreish.
That’s why 90% of the group’s focus in the elite game is on issues off the pitch - away from the sanctity of match day.
It’s on educating people about concussion and CTE, explaining why contact training and number of matches must be limited, pushing for stricter return to play protocols, questioning whether a 12-minute HIA process is suitable for a condition that can manifest itself hours or days later, and to push for players to have protected rest periods to properly recuperate.
This is all so that the match days can remain the brutal contest we all (let’s admit it) want to see and that players can retire sound of mind and with plenty of memories of playing the game.
Now, we fully recognise that head injuries will happen from perfectly legal challenges. Which is why the credibility of those aforementioned protocols above are so important.
And it’s also why what colour card the referee issues in a game following a collision of heads will never be our primary concern.
Whether it’s a 🟥/🟨 has zero effect on a player’s immediate condition or their long-term brain health. And it’s our firm belief that it’s the medical process, not the colour of the cards, that will ultimately count when it comes to ensuring the long-term future of the game.
That’s because no parent wants to see player’s staggering around the field one minute, only to return to the fray. They want to see medics quick to react, for the ref to stop the game so players can be treated and for the team to err on side of caution by taking the player off.
That is what will instils confidence that the game looks after its players. It’s what encourages parents to take their children to the local rugby club, to support from the touchline, to put money behind the bar and help out at the club barbecue.
So while red/yellow cards and odd calls send many of us into a ‘card rage’ spin, Progressive Rugby must and will maintain its focus on the injured party and welfare processes, questioning it when it appears wrong, and pushing for unions to hold teams to account if it fails.
It’s for the good of the game.
“Whether the ref issues a 🟥/🟨 has zero effect on a player’s immediate condition or their long-term brain health.”