SHOULDER CHARGES BANNED

[Owd Codger]

How long before before teams are wearing padding and helmets like American Football?

[Kittwazzer]

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[cpwigan]

I like watching shoulder charges BUT I think the various orgs have made the right call. The so called shoulder charge is too easy to become an all out assault on an opponents head/face.

The next area may be players using their elbow/forearm when running with the ball. It cuts both ways.

Players can wear similar padding WW, we even had Torpedo shorts worn by Henry Paul etc. Most pros do not wear padding because it makes them easier to tackle when running with the ball and less hurtful when tackling.

[exile in Tiger country]

Seems to me that the "authorities" are taking no account of the most important two sets of people in the debate. The players and the paying supporters. If the players, coaches and clubs want to keep the shoulder charge they should simply form a break away sport. I believe it was done before, in 1895.

[Owd Codger]

Nothing wrong with the shoulder charge as long as it is done correctly in accordance with the rule.

Even the players do not want it banned!

[cpwigan]

Nothing wrong with the shoulder charge as long as it is done correctly in accordance with the rule.

Even the players do not want it banned!

What is a correct shoulder charge WW ?

[DaveO]

How long before before teams are wearing padding and helmets like American Football?

American football crossed my mind when thinking about about this.

I don't know much about the history of that sport but I am pretty sure people were actually getting killed playing the game and it came close to being banned outright.

So even in the early days of that sport when the world was far less conscious of health and safety and far less litigious the potential for serious injury led to changes in the rules.

[cpwigan]

People cry foul when a shoulder charge is outlawed BUT why not when tackling the standing leg of a kicker (Ronnie Gibbs) or cannon balling the lower legs of an attacker (Vila Matuatia)

BTW Tommy L IMO never or incredibly rarely used a shoulder charge. He primarily hit the mid rift of ball carriers without wrapping his arms around the ball carrier.

[Kittwazzer]

People cry foul when a shoulder charge is outlawed BUT why not when tackling the standing leg of a kicker (Ronnie Gibbs) or cannon balling the lower legs of an attacker (Vila Matuatia)

BTW Tommy L IMO never or incredibly rarely used a shoulder charge. He primarily hit the mid rift of ball carriers without wrapping his arms around the ball carrier.

So would that hit on Molly Titamasu still be legal?

[Sutty]

People cry foul when a shoulder charge is outlawed BUT why not when tackling the standing leg of a kicker (Ronnie Gibbs) or cannon balling the lower legs of an attacker (Vila Matuatia)

BTW Tommy L IMO never or incredibly rarely used a shoulder charge. He primarily hit the mid rift of ball carriers without wrapping his arms around the ball carrier.

So would that hit on Molly Titamasu still be legal?

IMO yes. He was bent forward as if going in to a tackle, he just never wrapped his arms around Mary. Compare that to the traditional "shoulder charge", where the tackler is stood upright, almost side on to the attacking player and he launches himself at the upper body of the attacker. If mistimed he hits the attacker in the face / head. There was absolutely no chance of Tommy making contact with anything other than the mid rif, in that tackle.