Monday’s rugby news has the Reds coach under the pump, an interesting test case for the judiciary, Super Rugby coaches to be tested and some alarming concussion statistics.
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Graham under pressure
Richard Graham has acknowledged that many Queensland fans are calling for his departure as the team continues to struggle for wins. But the Reds coach has maintained that he is the man to steer the team. “Only when you are looking from the inside can you look deeper beneath the surface,” he said.
The Reds sit in 13th position on the Super Rugby table with four tries in four games. Graham came to the Reds from the Force, where he won just 13 wins from 44 starts in charge.
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Kuridrani cited
Chris Kuridrani of the Reds has been cited for alleged foul play during the match against the Waratahs on the weekend. The Citing Commissioner deemed after the match that the 21st minute tackle on Israel Folau had met the red card threshold for a dangerous tackle.
The judiciary hearing will form a test case for the practice of ramming into the ankles and knees of attackers without wrapping the arms, as sometimes done by Saia Faingaa and Tatafu Polota-Nau.
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ARU testing S15 coaches
In the ARU’s new crackdown on illicit drugs in the wake of the Karmichael Hunt scandal, testing will now be extended to Super Rugby coaches. ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham revealed his coaching staff was now subject to regular testing for recreational drugs. “It’s a firm stance … but they’re illicit drugs so it’s appropriate,” Larkham said.
The Brumbies coach also emphasised that the ARU had handled the Hunt scandal superbly and, while welcoming more rigorous procedures, he denied that there was a problem with illicit drugs inside the code as a whole.
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Shocking new concussion figures
New statistics have been released which show an alarming increase in concussion rates within European professional rugby. A recent RFU audit revealed reported rates of concussion were 59 per cent higher during the 2013-14 Aviva Premiership season than the previous year, with 10.5 concussions occurring every 1,000 player hours.
“Something needs to be done because the World Cup is coming up and the eyes of the world will be on rugby,” said one insider at World Rugby. “Concussion is unquestionably the biggest issue facing the sport.”
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