Barrett could have been paralyzed ….

…..I have never seen a more dangerous fall than the one Barrett experienced. He was unable to get an arm down after Arendse had taken his feet from underneath him. Barrett pretty much landed on his head. A fractured neck was a distinct possibility, which would have been tragic.

With all the tactical kicking these days the prospect of serious injury has dramatically increased. Arendse had been effective and brave chasing the high kicks, but he badly botched  this.

Week after week we see close calls. Kick and chase is an integral part of rugby so it’s hard to legislate it out of the game….but along with the head butt tackle now harshly dealt with, the kick and chase is a very dangerous tactic and needs another review.

If we don’t do it prospectively, one of these days we’ll be reviewing kick and chase risks with a man in a wheel chair.

We are seeing something that the Blocks like to do, run under the jumper and wipe him out. They've been doing it a lot. They need to be punished more harshly for their very sloppy play. 

That would be about the only solution. I've been watching a lot of 80s games and they didn't jump to catch high kicks. The tactic was mostly to line up the catcher and flatten him the moment he caught it.

Besides, if World Rugby is all about player safety, why leave one of the most dangerous elements of the game unattended? Far more dangerous than a simple punch up which rarely do any damage at all.

I don't agree.

Rugby is a tough game and those who play it know the risks.

Stop changing the game.

Practically every year we see changes ... new laws ... tweaked this way and that way.

Cut it out.

Is there any other sport on the planet that has had so many changes?

This is not lawn bowls. Stop treating it as if it is.

Right on CC, they are just being pussies. Just punish the assholes wiping players out, if you fall that's tough, I got knocked aside in the air when I played... you live with it. Having your fucking legs swiped out is another fucking story entirely. It's not a contact sport, it's a collision sport. You can't make collisions safe. Basic fucking physics. What the fuck next? Where padded outfits running around like fucking marshmallows? Who the fuck wants to watch that?? 

I agree Plum, the slap thing is bvullshit. You throw the pass you take responsibility for the risk. So fucking what if it's "deliberately" slapped back? The stupid fucks who threw it now have to win it back. Simples. These bitches in world rugby need a fucking punch in the fat shit eating face. 

F this F that. This mong needs his mouth washed out with soap.

I don't know the remedy for his "mind" as brain transplants are not available.

I agree that Beau could have been paralysed. I do not think it was deliberate. In the face of these risks a rule change needs to be considered. Unfortunately this will not benefit the Boks who are great in contesting the high ball. It takes skill and courage which we have in abundance. Even our smallest  wings best their opponents. 

F this F that. This mong needs his mouth washed out with soap.

I don't know the remedy for his "mind" as brain transplants are not available.

I agree that Beau could have been paralysed. I do not think it was deliberate. In the face of these risks a rule change needs to be considered. Unfortunately this will not benefit the Boks who are great in contesting the high ball. It takes skill and courage which we have in abundance. Even our smallest  wings best their opponents. 

Easy to say it’s a man’s game, but try to visualize life in a wheel chair with no control over your bodily functions. The relevant analogy is the neck roll. They give cards to guys who do school boy neck locks….most of those things are totally innocuous. Every receiver who has his feet knocked from under him is at serious risk.

We saw Willie take a really bad spill last year as well. All these fullbacks are at risk from one hyped dumb kid.

It’s not a question of changing something in rugby….rugby has changed to make this risk far greater. Leaping for the ball as Pakie points out….but more recently weaponizing the kick/chase. It was far more casual even 10 years ago. Now teams use it almost routinely and are trained to place the kick where chasers can disrupt.

I’m guessing the use of this tactic has probably tripled since we won the 2007 WC final.

Time and again yesterday the ABs had to run in to take the kick. By the time they got there it was anybody’s ball and the receiver was under the gun.

Fully agree...to be tough you don't have to be stupid and brainless...to be confined to a wheelchair is far worse than death. There is no manliness in bravado talk.

Life is risk and that's what I enjoy...I'm not fazed by death, it's a huge reality but total disability is very degrading.

There is nothing more brain dead than taking a player in the air and it's simple, if you do that red card and banned from playing for 6 months.

Agree that this is a very dangerous situation with a player in the air attempting to catch a ball with the opposition player/s coming at him at full pace.

It is practically impossible from the incoming player to stop dead in his tracks if the catcher is still off the turf even if he has caught the ball.

Remember Lambie and the Irish test for example.

Stop players from jumping to catch an up and under is perhaps the only sensible way to prevent a major sporting injury from taking place.

Plum also has a very valid point in the interception screw up law.

A yellow card for this infraction is overboard.