since the last world cup, my provincial (club) team has gone from super rugby to URC. The style of play and interpretation of the laws has been a huge shift. As an exercise watch a super rugby NZ derby in the morning and a URC clash in the afternoon, it's a different game! I'm not sure if trialling it there gives the best data. I'm a firm believer that the orange card is the answer, and over time it will prove itself given the chance.
The latest podcast here goes into this exact topic. Dr Tucker sits on the WR injury/technique commitee and is very transparent on it. The anecdote here is that the change in tackle laws got a direct comment from J Nienaber, he felt it was going to take away one of their strengths. They then worked actively to adapt tackle technique, knowing that cards would come freely if they didn't. The feeling is that NZ went on business as usual and the end result is a higher card percentage.
I believe it is not made up.
Sport · 2024
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