IRB chairman speaks out against dangerous tackling

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has waded into the Brian O'Driscoll tackle debate, with chairman Syd Millar believing the sport is more dangerous now that teams are bending the law at cleanouts.

Millar said the injury suffered by Lions captain O'Driscoll when he was cleaned out at a ruck by All Blacks Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu in the first test on Saturday has only served to highlight a serious problem.

"That tackle was made when the ball was gone and that's been happening," Millar said.

"It's not part of rugby to be taking people out off the ball. It's dangerous, the guy's not expecting, it shouldn't be part of rugby."

O'Driscoll was ruled out of the tour with a dislocated shoulder after falling awkwardly when the two All Blacks appeared to lift the Irishman off his feet away from the ball.

Millar said the issue was one he had been perusing long before the O'Driscoll incident.

He said teams were now training to take players out further off the ball than the law allowed but were getting away with it because of lax interpretation by referees.

"They (referees) make the point it's very difficult to watch that when they're watching the ball and the tackle," Millar said.

"We have to ensure that the referees apply the law. And if they need some help, then perhaps the touch judges may take a bigger part."

If the interpretation can't be tightened, Millar suggested a law change would be addressed but not until after the 2007 World Cup.

To the outrage of Lions management, neither Umaga nor Mealamu was cited.

Millar was happy to accept the ruling of independent match citing commissioner Willem Venter, although he wasn't sure if the South African had seen all the footage available .

"Whether he had access to as much film as was subsequently available, I don't know," Millar said.

"Sometimes a different camera angle can come up a few days later and it looked different. We must make sure that anything he has to help him should be available."

An New Zealand Rugby Union spokesman said Venter had access to all possible angles on the night of the test.

Venter had just 12 hours to rule on the incident, under a pre-tour agreement made by the Lions and the All Blacks so the tourists faced few distractions ahead of midweek games.

IRB regulations usually allow up to 48 hours for citings to be made.

Meanwhile, Millar and a number of IRB officials are in Wellington for an executive meeting tomorrow.

Contrary to some reports, they are not here to assess New Zealand's 2011 World Cup bid, although they are happy to observe how New Zealand was coping.

The World Cup assessment will be carried out by an IRB technical group after the Lions tour.

- NZPA