Wales legend Sam Warburton has echoed Nigel Owens\u2019 calls to speed up the game, with too much time spent reviewing head contact by officials.<\/p>\n
World Rugby<\/a> have attempted to clamp down on the number of head contacts in the sport with law changes and the introduction of the coaching intervention programme to reduce suspensions.<\/p>\n Are players changing their behaviour?<\/p>\n Warburton<\/a> questions how successful the game\u2019s governing body has been in their attempt to change players\u2019 behaviours.<\/p>\n \u201cI have mentioned this before, and I know Nigel Owens, the former referee, has written a lot about it, but too much time is being taken up looking at head contacts,\u201d he wrote in his Times column<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe delays are all coming in good faith because the game is entirely right to focus on player welfare \u2014 it is probably doing a lot more than many other sports in that regard \u2014 and the officials are only following orders, but has it gone too far because of the inconsistencies involved? The momentum of matches is being killed too often.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a column, Owens raised the question of player behaviour and whether it has actually changed. It is a good point.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cHave players really altered what they are doing in the eight years since then? I\u2019m not sure they have.<\/p>\n \u201cHead contacts in rugby union are unavoidable. I have said that before and I will say that again, and the ugly, dirty ones are rightly being punished, but we can reduce the general number, and for that the players have to take some responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Nigel Owens: One thing World Rugby \u2018needs to look at\u2019 as it\u2019s having a \u2018huge\u2019 impact on the game<\/a><\/p>\n England great worried \u2018model\u2019 PREM club is destined to fail as World Rugby making it almost impossible to succeed<\/a><\/p>\n Rugby has never been perfect or safe<\/p>\n The former Lions skipper added that he thinks that referees are being pushed into a corner by players because they are not going lower and not wrapping their arms.<\/p>\n He also questioned whether the coaches are doing enough, too.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there enough work being done on training grounds on tackle technique? I know that what we see in a game is often the result of extreme fatigue and the intensity and speed of matches, and that to get it right in those circumstances is very hard, but are we doing enough to reduce the regularity of such instances?\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we are, then maybe we just have to accept that there will be those head contacts and we have to deal with them so much more quickly. I am telling you now that head contacts at rucks \u2014 such as the\u00a0Jac Morgan incident on last summer\u2019s Lions tour\u00a0\u2014 are particularly difficult to avoid, so let\u2019s use a bit more common sense and realise that is just a clear-out and we move on.<\/p>\n \u201cRugby has never been perfect or safe, and never will be. We are trying to make it safer, which is great, but we also need to make sure it doesn\u2019t become unwatchable. The game has to be quickened up. Please!\u201d<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n