Union did not outlaw the shoulder charge rather you have wrap your arms around the ball carrier. I think what Tommy did v Molly was perfect, certainly for league because the target area was low. The problem IMO lies with people hitting above chest high with their whole body, more often than not front one, the arms are sometyimes even thrown upwards to connect with the head. A shoulder charge IMO should be sideways on if it is above chest high. Even football has a shoulder charge for example and that is side to side.Sutty wrote: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.Kittwazzer wrote:So would that hit on Molly Titamasu still be legal?cpwigan wrote: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.
The bare minimum, RL should be encouraging tackling belowbchest high which would promote lower safer tackling.