I remember watching rugby union when it was a fast-moving game with hardly any head injuries.

In those days tackles were made around the ankles by one player and the ball was quickly put back to the No 9 by the tackled player and passed out to the backs who made a run for the tryline.

Almost every tackle today is aimed at the high torso area, often resulting in shoulders or heads to heads.

If that doesn’t happen, two or three defenders get hold of the ball carrier around the torso or waist and others of the ball carrier’s team jump in and push the ball carrier down the field a further 10-20m before they all – five or six of them – fall in a big heap of bodies.

The ref has to look for the ball to decide what to penalise some player for, which can take a considerable time and often end up in a scrum which the ref inevitably resets two or three times.

Today’s rugby union is a much slower game than it ever used to be.

And far more dangerous!

Every game we watch defenders standing vertical, waiting for a fast-running 100kg man to run into him!

No wonder heads meet! If tackles weren’t allowed above the knee, heads would be protected from most knocks today.

There’d rarely be a six-man heap for the ref.

Colin Stitt, Katikati.