HULL FC head coach Tony Smith has echoed calls for changes to tackling techniques to protect rugby league players in the aftermath of the St Helens-Leigh Leopards Challenge Cup semi-final.
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens slammed the governing body for “failing to protect its players” following the 12-10 loss to Leigh – a fixture in which four Saints players were injured – and two seriously by Leigh’s John Asiata.
Agnatius Paasi and Alex Walmsley are now out for the rest of the 2023 Super League season, but Wellens’ comments also raised a debate about the desire to change the rules in order to protect rugby league players.
Now, Hull FC head coach Tony Smith, who was a guest prior to the Black and Whites’ fixture against Huddersfield Giants on Sky Sports last night, has echoed the calls for changes – though he concurred that there wasn’t any current law that Asiata could have been charged under.
“I’m not too sure we could currently charge anybody with those tackles but I would like to support and look at changing techniques and changing methods within our sport in order to protect it and our players,” Smith said.
“The sport has been doing that for many years, you can’t charge down on kickers’ legs for example. We are making adjustments all the time but what we really want is for tacklers to be in control of their velocity and where they hit people.
“If the style is going to injure and maim people, we might need to make adjustments. There may be danger in the methods of the tackler as well.
“It is certainly something we need to address. I’m glad the issue has been raised – I’m not glad its taken injuries for it to be raised.
“I’m very supportive of ‘let’s go fathom this out and how to work out protection for our players’.”
