Rugby Union: Time to ditch the Red Card? Featured
All Blacks prop ‘Ofa Tu‘ungafasi walked off due to a red-card ejection along with his Wallabies counterpart, back rower Lachie Swinton from last weekend’s Tri Nation test in Brisbane, Australia. The double red-card event gave rise to hotly debates on the merits of the “non-replacement” clause in Rugby Laws. New Zealand Rugby’s “replacement” innovation is a positive prescription to sustain safety and competitiveness on both sides. (Getty Images).
by Sione Mokofisi
The famous double red-carded test match between the All Blacks and Wallabies last weekend stood out as one of the best physical games I’ve seen in years. The 24-22 razor-edge win for the Aussies speaks volume to the tenacity of this cross-Tasman Sea rivalry – I understand to be controlled by the Kiwis for the last 18 years.
And the red-carded punishments handed out to All Blacks prop ‘Ofa Tu‘ungafasi and Wallabies back-rower Lachie Swinton brought fresh scrutiny of this Rugby Law to the surface. Obviously, the reduction of manpower on each side may stand out as the one sticky issue to fans and observers. Rugby fans prefer removing the offending player alone but leave the teams sustainably competitive – with 15 players each.
Ostensibly, the Red Card Law is a safety issue, but it seems its usefulness should have expired when the game ditched the “amateurism” doctrine in favor of professional rugby. Amateur rugby did not allow the commercialization of the game but modern rugby breaths dollar signs everywhere because the game’s fan base and worldwide couch-potato spectator crowd demanded it.
Are Red Cards an anachronism?
New Zealand Rugby’s recent “red-card replacement” experiments should be adopted by the World Rugby Law Committee instantly. It’s a creative novel idea. Ejection for foul play is punishment enough – plus additional future games suspensions – but the game should continue to sustain its competitiveness with substitutions.
Ejection from a match was traditionally reserved for egregious foul play, which also handicapped the offending team with the loss of a player, or number of players. But the “show must go on” to safeguard the safety of the entire team and sustain the excitement of the match.
The modern Red Card Law is an anachronism. A player can be sinbinned for repeated non-foul offenses and eventually red-carded if he/she is caught a third time. Additionally, safety measures must be made during scrums to maintain the safety valve (8-men balance) of that restart process.
Finally, the non-replacement outdated mandate violates the Laws of the Game: Rugby Union games are played with 15 players. Yes, the game is still “a gentlemen’s game played by hooligans” or “a hooligans’ game played by ladies and gentlemen”. Let’s have 15 players at all times.
Lessons from American sports
Rugby Union took too long to finally shed its amateurism traditions upon becoming commercialized at the close of the 20th century. The modern game slowly adopted practices common in American sports, except for the cheerleading modern beauties cheering their teams on from the sidelines.
American sports gave us TV instant replays; timeout breaks during matches; free substitutions; empowering touch judges to assist referees; women’s rugby popularity on college campuses; and most of all sports marketing savvy. TV analysts of international test matches seem to constantly emulate the American sports coverage model more and more.
The rugby game’s evolution is traditionally seen as an “old boys’ game,” run by old men. They prefer Rugby Laws written centuries before they were born. But the modern game requires innovations and savvy business marketing. It’s a spectator’s sport providing entertainment for millions of modern customers who are paying good money to enjoy professional athleticism dual it out physically on the rugby pitch.
(Mokofisi is a seasoned journalist and a former rugby player, coach, referee and administrator. He played rugby at Liahona High School; Nukunuku Rugby Club; BYU-Hawaii varsity team; coached Alaska Pacific University Rugby Club; President of Alaska Rugby Union, Utah Rugby Union, and an Officiating.com and Rugby Magazine columnist. He now writes about the American Major League Rugby on <www.Nepituno.to> and social media platforms.)
