Rugby: Coach hits out at high shots

Canterbury coach Steve Hansen has hit out at the wealth of head-high tackles in representative matches this year after wing Marika Vunibaka was felled again.

Vunibaka, who had a neck injury during the Super 12 campaign, had a sore neck after being hit high early in the second half of the 20-9 loss to North Harbour at Albany.

He left the field for treatment before returning. But the injury will be reassessed by the Canterbury medical staff.

Vunibaka was hit in a head-high tackle in his comeback game for Canterbury in the Ranfurly Shield defence against Nelson Bays on August 4.

Hansen was sufficiently concerned to talk to New Zealand Rugby Football Union referees manager Keith Lawrence about what he sees as a spate of dangerous tackles.

"I think there are far too many head-highs in all the games," Hansen said.

"People's heads are fairly sacrosanct. But too many people don't seem to get pulled up for it. People are just going around firing shots at people's heads and it's not being dealt with.

"We've had Vuni hit high twice this season, Nathan Mauger once, and Justin Marshall also copped two against North Harbour. And that's just in our matches."

Lawrence said he had seen a couple of "marginal" high tackles, but he did not think there had been an epidemic.

- NZPA