A Sports Law Rugby Blog
Head contact in rugby union has come under heightened scrutiny in recent years, owing to increased concern about brain injuries in the sport. However, this “zero tolerance” approach has not been without controversy. January 2017 saw the start of World…
Joe Marler’s two-week ban for verbally abusing Bristol Bears’ Jake Heenan in late December 2022 caused no shortage of controversy. Public opinion is split between those who found the ban too harsh, and those who thought it was too short.…
As of 1 January 2022, important changes were made to World Rugby’s disciplinary regulations (Regulation 17), in relation to the sanctioning of acts of foul play. This article will focus on two of those changes, which are of particular significance…
Jordie Barrett’s red card in New Zealand’s final Bledisloe Cup (2021) match against Australia has been met with no shortage of controversy. In the 28th minute, Barrett’s boot struck the face of Australia’s Marika Koroibete, as the All Black attempted…
Zander Fagerson’s ban during the 2021 Six Nations has caused widespread controversy. Fans and commentators have been outraged by the fact he was sent off, by the length of his ban, and by the matches for which he has been…
In May 2019, World Rugby published its Decision-Making Framework for High Tackles (the “Framework”). It was intended as a “systematic tool” to guide decision-making by referees, citing commissioners and disciplinary panels as to the appropriate sanction for potential acts of…
Rugby’s disciplinary process has come in for a lot of criticism this week; much of it undeserved. The controversies of Owen Farrell’s high tackle and the punch-up between Siale Piutau and Andrew Kitchener in the Gallagher Premiership have dominated the…
The following article was co-authored by Kevin Carpenter and I, and published by LawInSport. It has been in the pipeline for some time, but we hope that it provides a comprehensive analysis of the disciplinary decisions of Rugby World Cup…
With so many disciplinary incidents taking place during this Rugby World Cup, it is hard to keep up. Rather than try to cover them all, I am trying to focus on the most significant during the tournament and will then…
The disciplinary sanctions for foul play have been coming thick and fast at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. After Hodge, Lee-Lo and Matu’u were handed three-week bans for dangerous tackles (previously analysed here), it was hoped that players might take…
