New High tackle laws

As usual the arrival of clarifications at the elite level are greeted by fanfare and whistles.

As explained to us at the beginning of the season we were to have a low tolerance for high tackles, those that slid up high and were let go last season were now to be penalised and clumsy high tackles were now card offences. Basically the gist of it was to get the players to buy into keeping the hits lower.

Ball carriers now needed careful of leading with the arm or elbow to the chest/head as they were looking at yellow/red cards depending on where they landed.

Overall cheap and dangerous shots were not to be tolerated and our goal basically was that everyone would walk off the pitch and go to work/college the next day.

At elite level they let way more slide than we would at amateur level, for e.g. The Fekatoa incident would be a red at 99% of junior games in the province, but at elite level they were apologising for having to issue a YC.

So at elite level they are basically implementing the existing laws, the big announcement was merely a heads up (pun intended ) to the players that they were being clamped down on. They are just trying to tidy up an area that had become lax at the elite level and was giving the game a bad look.

Last night, Reidy was offside and high tackled the ball carrier, once they were going for the pen try he was always going to the bin, Trimble was lucky not to follow him.
Ball was unlucky IMO , started low and slid up to the head, yes to the pen, no to the YC for me.

There's going to be a bedding in time for both players and officials, it will be messy for a short time until the elite refs either forget about the law ( straight put in anyone?) or else they tough it out and the players adjust.

Give it a week or two and it'll sort itself out.