The topic of whether tackling should be allowed in schools rugby blew up yesterday after English doctors started their campaign to make rugby a non-contact sport for children.
Every fan, parent, governing body, and professionals - young and old had their say - defining which side they are on on the debate.
James Haskell was one of those, who penned a well-written and articulate article for the Huffington Post on the matter. Haskell's message wasn't too different from the standard rugby view that poor tackle technique is a bigger cause of concussions than tackling itself, and that failing to teach kids how to tackle early would lead to bigger consequences.
So now we have the call for tackling in rugby to be banned. Of course I have respect for the opinions of doctors and absolutely we need to listen to their concerns, as concussion in rugby has suddenly become a hot and important topic.
However rugby is one of the very few sports in the modern era that has managed to retain its core values; working as a team, respecting the referee, the opposition and leaving everything on the pitch.
Rather than just ban everything, can't we seek a sensible middle ground solution, which is look at the causes rather than just the outcomes?
Teach people to play the game properly.
Given Haskell's actions on the weekend, it seems strange that he is the one telling others about tackle technique. The flanker was binned against Ireland for a late clothesline to Ireland scrumhalf Conor Murray, who seemed to take a number of dirty shots after being on the end of the Mike Brown incident as well.
Maybe Haskell needs to learn how to tackle properly.
