agree very important, however its rugby league and not known to be the safest game on the planet!!!
the big shunts are one of the most exiting spectacles of our game and get almost everyone on their feet when it happens, remove the exitiement and you remove the fans simple as that.
also its an almost impossible issue to officiate as RU have found, we spend enough time with the VR as it is without legality of tackle stoppages

Just seen a stat from an rl writer -0.05% of tackles made were shoulder charges. 5% of them resulted in injuries. So 0.0025% of tackles resulted in injuries from shoulder charges. Soon head guards will be compulsory n shoulder pads and we'll be playing some hybrid game of gridiron union and with a bit of league thrown in!

Not happy with this decision at all, it's one of the most exciting aspects of the game. I saw this news while I was at the gym this morning and I'm sure I read that it will be brought in over here too?
Yes it'll stop wrong decisions but the game will become that bit more boring now.

I bet the likes of Barrie Mac and Neil Cowie are laughing their boxes off at this news, ridiculous it is

Its not illegal tackles or dangerous tackles that the RFL should be focusing on its the friggin idiots with the whistle that should be the focus of attention presently

Quote airliebird,runninglate!="airliebird,runninglate!"Just seen a stat from an rl writer -0.05% of tackles made were shoulder charges. 5% of them resulted in injuries. So 0.0025% of tackles resulted in injuries from shoulder charges. Soon head guards will be compulsory n shoulder pads and we'll be playing some hybrid game of gridiron union and with a bit of league thrown in!'" Which multiplies out at 2.6 a season - assuming 104,317 tackles were made last year (superleague.co.uk/stats/clubstats) How many is too many? I am against this btw as I love the spectacle - but can understand the RFLs viewpoint

Quote airliebird,runninglate!="airliebird,runninglate!"Just seen a stat from an rl writer -0.05% of tackles made were shoulder charges. 5% of them resulted in injuries. So 0.0025% of tackles resulted in injuries from shoulder charges. Soon head guards will be compulsory n shoulder pads and we'll be playing some hybrid game of gridiron union and with a bit of league thrown in!'" Which multiplies out at 2.6 a season - assuming 104,317 tackles were made last year (superleague.co.uk/stats/clubstats) How many is too many? I am against this btw as I love the spectacle - but can understand the RFLs viewpoint

Rubbish. And the players think so too:

@RyanHoffman12: Banning the shoulder charge is going 2 result in some boring highlights packages. We run in2 people 4 a living. #dontbantheshouldercharge

@ManuVatuvei: You serious about banning the shoulder charge!! That's what made the game interesting!

@bryceegibbs: There was no better feeling getting shoulder charged first run of the game ! Sad day for rugby league!

The problem isn't at the professional level, it's in the junior and amateur game, if a player gets a head injury as a result of a shoulder charge then all of the relevant medical staff are on hand to isolate the spine etc. But at junior levels and the amateur game that level of protection isn't available. But you can't ban it at one level and not another.

The job of a tackle is to stop the player and secure the ball to prevent it being passed, a shoulder charge does not achieve that.

They should have asked the players what they thought about banning the shoulder charge. There the guys who put their bodies on the line, throughout the season. Looking on twitter they don't seem happy about the decision.

can't imagine this going down too well in aus - the fans love the shoulder charges even more than over here

sorry double post

Absolute claptrap.

What a well thought out and meaningful contribution....