Top rugby medico says NRL on right path with send-off and sin-bin spree

The former Cronulla Shark who drove rugby union’s global push to stamp out head and neck contact said a major crackdown proved to be highly effective in reducing concussions – but only by using harsh actions such as sin-bins and send-offs.

World Rugby’s deputy chief medical officer Dr Martin Raftery, who was also a long time Dragons doctor, said rugby union’s experience in trying to limit the frequency of head knocks was given its biggest boost when match officials started sending players from the field.

The tackle in which Raiders prop Josh Papalii (right) was sent off.Credit:Getty

“Our research into the cause of head injury in the sport was completed in 2016 identifying the tackle as the most injurious phase of the game,” said Raftery, who was World Rugby’s chief medical officer for a decade until 2020.

“Our initial intervention to protect the players was for World Rugby to adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ for head contact which led to higher sanctions by match officials, including penalties, yellow cards and red cards.

“Rugby is a global game so we were able to monitor eight national competitions and what we noted was that the issuing of cards, both yellow and red, resulted in lower concussion rates. But those competitions which didn’t issue more cards, even though they may have had higher penalty rates, did not lower concussion rates.

“The lesson for us was cards change behaviour, not necessarily penalties.”

The lesson for us was cards change behaviour, not necessarily penalties

Rugby union’s worldwide concussion rates had been increasing between 2011 and 2018 after the code introduced head injury assessments, which provided greater awareness through the media and involved training of club doctors to diagnose concussion. There was also a lower threshold for diagnosing concussion before 2011. All other injury levels had been relatively stable over the same time.

Papalii is in danger of missing the State of Origin series opener after being hit with a grade three careless high tackle, which carries a three-match ban with an early guilty plea.

He will miss five matches if he fights the charge at the judiciary and loses.

Raiders teammates Jack Wighton and Josh Hodgson also face missing the crucial visit of the Storm to the nation’s capital after being charged for separate dangerous contact incidents on Saturday.

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