Rugby World Cup: Red card guidelines defined

Refereeing, head collisions and participant security once more made the headlines on the opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup with a lot of contentious incidents.

The most high-profile got here on Saturday when an England participant was proven a purple card for the fourth time this 12 months, as Tom Curry was despatched off early in his facet’s win over Argentina, following a head-on-head collision with Juan Cruz Mallia.

However, obvious inconsistency amongst officers irked many, particularly on social media, with different incidents of head contact throughout the weekend not being punished as severely.

Later in that very same match, Santiago Carreras solely obtained a yellow card regardless of his leap in trying to cost down a George Ford kick seeing his hip make contact with the England No 10’s head. During South Africa’s spectacular 18-3 win over Scotland, Jesse Kriel’s deal with on Jack Dempsey through which his head clattered into that of his Scottish opponent wasn’t even reviewed by the TMO and hasn’t subsequently been cited, whereas Chile captain Martin Sigren was solely sin-binned regardless of a head-on-head collision whereas tackling a Japanese attacker.

But what are the legal guidelines round head contact and excessive tackles that referees are following and the way do they resolve on the punishment? Here’s every part you should know:

What are World Rugby’s legal guidelines on head contact?

Head-on-head contact within the deal with comes underneath Law 9 of the Laws of Rugby Union, which covers foul play.

Law 9.11 dictates “Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others, including leading with the elbow or forearm, or jumping into, or over, a tackler” and Law 9.13 goes on to say “A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders.”

If a participant breaks these legal guidelines and the act is deemed to be reckless or harmful, then the referee is entitled to subject a yellow or purple card.

World Rugby additionally make clear the intent of the legal guidelines, stating of their tips that: “ Player welfare drives World Rugby’s decision making for zero tolerance of foul play, especially where head contact occurs. The focus must be on the actions of those involved, not the injury – the need for an HIA [a Head Injury Assessment] does not necessarily mean that there has been illegal head contact.”

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Ok, that is the place issues get technical and debates begin to happen. In March 2023, World Rugby issued their newest ‘head contact process law application guidelines’ to information referees on whether or not foul play has occurred and the way it needs to be punished.

The referee has to undergo a four-step course of (detailed under) to find out the extent of the foul play and the sanction. The 4 steps are:

Step 1 (has head contact occurred?) is comparatively easy, with head contact together with the top and the face in addition to the neck and throat space. If any head contact is made in any respect, we transfer on to Step 2.

Step 2 (was there foul play?) is a contact extra advanced. The referees are instructed to think about whether or not the top contact was both intentional, reckless or avoidable – e.g. the defender is all the time upright. If it was, the tackler shall be penalised they usually transfer on to Step 3. However, if the top contact was deemed to not be foul play, the sport continues.

Step 3 (what was the diploma of hazard?) – judged from excessive to low – determines the preliminary punishment.

A level of excessive hazard is judged on any of: direct contact slightly than oblique, a high-force influence, an absence of management from the tackler, the incident occurring at excessive pace, the tackler main with the top/shoulder/elbow/forearm or the deal with being reckless. If the referee judges there to be a excessive diploma of hazard, a purple card shall be proven.

Meanwhile, low hazard is judged as oblique contact, low pressure, low pace or no main head/shoulder/forearm/swinging arm and a yellow card and even only a penalty to the opposition could also be awarded.

The closing step, Step 4 (is there any mitigation?) determines whether or not the punishment will be decreased by one grade (i.e purple card all the way down to yellow card or yellow card all the way down to only a penalty). Mitigation features a sudden or vital drop in top or change in route from ball provider, a late change in dynamics because of one other participant within the contact space, a transparent effort from the tackler to cut back their top or the tackler having no time to regulate.

However, mitigation won’t ever apply for intentional or always-illegal acts of foul play.

What concerning the Foul Play Review Officer/Bunker evaluate?

Introduced for this World Cup was the Bunker evaluate system. This permits the referee to subject a yellow card to a participant, sending them to the sin-bin whereas play goes on, the place a Foul Play Review Official (FPRO) will then take one other take a look at the incident and decide if the yellow card needs to be upgraded to purple, permitting the sport to proceed slightly than a protracted stoppage to debate this. This is what occurred to Curry towards Argentina.

The referee crosses their arms to point a Bunker evaluate will happen.

Once a participant is within the sin-bin, the FPRO has as much as eight minutes to evaluate the choice and resolve if it warrants upgrading to a purple card. If not, the participant will return to the sector after their 10 minutes within the sin-bin has elapsed.