Say what you like about the Rugby Football Union but it leads the world when it comes to totting up rugby injuries. Unless, of course, rugby’s future ultimately boils down to an entirely separate question: what constitutes acceptable risk? Damian Hopley, the Rugby Players’ Association chief executive, admits even a roomful of pro players could not agree in November whether Owen Farrell’s late match-turning no-arms tackle against South Africa should have been penalised or not. Which, as Hopley rightly says, invites a fundamental question: where does rugby go next? Encouragingly, it would appear everyone from World Rugby downwards recognises the time for procrastination is long gone.

Source: The Guardian January 10, 2019 08:30 UTC