JOHN MITCHELL, on the Vodacom Rugby Portal, discusses dangerous tackles and provides two solutions that would improve consistency and fairness.

In May, World Rugby disseminated a memorandum explaining how referees should deal with dangerous tackles.

They emphasised that:

Tip tackles must be dealt with severely by match officials and all those involved in the off-field disciplinary process.

A high tackle to the head and/or neck area of an opponent (particularly those involving a stiff arm or swinging arm) should result in either a yellow or red card.

The grasping and twisting of the neck and/or head area of a player to either tackle or clear out a player is, of course, also foul play.

Read the rest of Mitchell's column

Photo: Marty Melville/Getty Images