I am absolutely gob smacked with the National Rugby League ’ s cracking down on so-called hip-drop tackles .

For Donald Duck ’ s sake , these dropkicks have gone totally bonkers in recent years with changes made constantly to tackling styles .

I agree stiff-arm tackles , head-high tackles , late tackles , grabbing a player ’ s orchestra stalls , Liverpool Kisses , shoulder charges , punching and elbowing to the noggin ’ have had to be eliminated from the game . Also agree with the crackdown on tackling a player who has both feet off the ground and of course the old up-ending and driving a player head-first into the ground . But this hip-drop crap is going too far . I ’ ve seen players in recent matches being penalised because somehow in a clash of bodies between ball-carrier and tackler , the tackler ’ s legs have left the ground and somehow the lower part of his body has landed on the ball carrier ’ s legs as he hits the turf . Hip-drop my Tijuana Brass ! And , here ’ s a barnstorming idea in regard to preventing players getting concussed in tackles . Lesson 1 : The brain is in the head . Lesson 2 : If the head receives a knock , the brain acts like a dodgem car , rattling around inside the skull .

Lesson 3 : Stop defenders tackling anywhere near the head . “ How ya gonna do that ,” I hear you ask . Simple ! In Rugby Union , high tackles are illegal in all variations of rugby union play , including sevens and tens variations .

According to World Rugby laws , “ a

player must not tackle an opponent early , late or dangerously . Dangerous tackling includes , but is not limited to , tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders .” A player may receive a range of sanctions in response to an illegal high tackle , ranging from a penalty , yellow card , or red card ( immediately sent off ), which from what I ’ ve seen , is the most prominent penalty .

The rule was introduced in 2011 and the result of its implementation was a 37 per cent reduction in the number of tackle-related concussion incidents per 1000 player hours at the 2019 World Cup compared to the previous year , with an overall 28 per cent reduction in concussion incidents . And Ruby Union is going even further in preventing head knocks in tackles ! In August of 2019 , World Rugby announced that reducing tackle height to waist level was one of several trial laws under consideration for implementation by the Rugby World Cup in 2023 .

Under the new rule , any tackle above the waist would now be considered a high tackle . The rationale for this rule change offered by World Rugby is that “ forcing players to tackle lower may reduce the risk of head injuries to both the tackler and tackled player ” as well as encouraging more offloads and expansive play .

French Rugby ’ s governing body , Federation Francaise de Rugby ’ s trials of this rule change has had positive results , showing that reduction of permissible tackling to waist height reduces the number of head impacts and player injuries . The new rule changes were well

received by players and spectators alike , with the game more free-flowing and producing exciting attacking forays .

Over the English Channel , the Rugby Football Union earlier this year announced that a ban on tackles above the waist for all rugby players below the elite level will be introduced from July 1 .

The RFU ’ s decision came hard on the heels of 55 former amateur players joining a class-action lawsuit against rugby ’ s governing bodies , saying they were not adequately protected from permanent brain injuries .

You ’ d have to be brain-dead not to do everything possible to stop head knocks and concussions in all forms of sport .

Have had a tear in my eye for the past few weeks with the passing of an old friend – the best racing guide in the entire world , if not universe , the Sportsman .

News Limited published its last edition of the guide on Thursday , May 5 , and I , along with a host of mainly blokes who worked on the rag , were heartbroken .

Those men included racing legends Tommy Brassel , his son , Tony and Ken Callander .

The Sportsman was first published in 1900 and its list of distinguished editors down the years included Banjo Paterson , who took up the reins in 1922 .

Staff in more recent years ( for this septuagenarian ) include Barry Parkes , Tom “ Brown Blur ” Brassel and his son , Tony ( Young Blur ) Brassel , Ken “ Deafy ” Callander and Tony Thomas .

For a few years in the early 70s , I was Kenny Callander ’ s deputy on the

Sportsman , taking over when he went on holidays . On one occasion when I was in charge , I made a tremendous “ blue ” which I thought would result in immediate dismissal . For each Monday edition of the guide ( for the Wednesday meeting in Sydney ), it was normal strategy to just put a large photo of the meeting ’ s best bet on the front page .

I was just having another gander at the page proof when I realised I had placed the wrong horse on the cover . This horse was a chestnut whereas the correct horse , was a bay . I immediately called out ‘ stop the presses ’ – which had already printed about 12,000 copies – replaced the front page with the correct horse and awaited being called up to Mahogany Row for the sack .

That would have cost News Limited a lot of moolah , but I never heard a peep from the head honchos .

So , I lived to have another 50 years or so at this scribbling caper .

LOWEST OF THE LOW MARKS : Just prior to jetting off to Las Vegas to spruik up rugby league matches being played in Sin City , Peter “ Rugba ” V ’ landys said of his code ’ s strong association with gambling joints , “ People bet for entertainment ”.

Tell that to someone whose kids go hungry and the rent isn ’ t being paid while he ’ s watching a big screen TV which is about to be repossessed .