Mitchell: Players should be put on report after fouls

By WYNNE GRAY


Waikato coach John Mitchell wants rugby to introduce a reporting system for foul play.

In a week when the nation debated high tackles from Chris Masoe and Jerry Collins and their consequences, Mitchell pleaded for those deeds to be put on report.

He was not an advocate of the sinbin or players being sent off unless they committed an obvious act of violence.

Waikato officials were staggered Masoe was not cited after his tackle clobbered wing Solo Korovatu, while Collins was sent off and later banned for two weeks for his high shot on Paul Miller.

"We asked New Zealand to look at it," chief executive Gary Dawson confirmed, "because in our opinion it was worse than Collins."

However, citing commissioner Mike O'Leary chose not to act any further with Masoe, who was sinbinned by the referee Lyndon Bray.

"If these things are put on report it takes all the emotion out of the situation and players can be judged then against a graded list of consequences," Mitchell said.

If players were reported and found guilty their teams would still suffer, but at the moment there were too many grey areas for match officials to deal with.


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