Smart mouthguards spark controversy

By Liam Napier

Crusaders captain Scott Barrett has questioned the mandatory use of smart mouthguards after several players were left baffled by their removal from Super Rugby Pacific’s opening match.

In a repeat of last year’s final the Chiefs opened the season with an unpredictable 33-29 victory over the defending champion Crusaders in Hamilton but one of the main talking points centred on frustration from players after they were sent from the field for head injury assessments.

Smart mouthguards have been introduced this season, with World Rugby setting the threshold at 75g for linear accelerations for men. If that impact is met, regardless of whether it occurs in a tackle or head collision, pitch-side doctors must remove players for a head assessment.

Crusaders lock Quinten Strange was the first to be pulled from the contest on Friday night after his mouthguard reached the required threshold. Strange was confused as to why he had to leave the field, and later returned after passing his test.

Later in the match, with the contest in the balance, Chiefs midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown was visibly frustrated at being forced to depart despite not having suffered a head knock.

Fellow Chiefs midfielder Quinn Tupaea was also removed after a head knock but later passed his test.

All Blacks lock and Crusaders captain Barrett reflected the players’ frustrations when he addressed the issue post-match.

“Honestly I think it’s a step too far for a player when you’re looking around what actually happened,” Barrett said. “Obviously we want player welfare and that’s paramount but I think if you’re influencing the game and players are going off and they don’t know what for that can be frustrating for a player so there needs to be a happy medium somewhere within it.

“Communication was fine but it’s probably the system around it. If the player is getting dragged for something... it’s a little bit benign.

“Potentially it could be trialled within training but I don’t want to step out of line there’s obviously a lot of work going into player welfare.”

Crusaders coach Rob Penney acknowledged the intention but also expressed his concerns.

“They’re trying to bed in their technology and it’s going global whether we like it or not we’ve got to live with it,” Penney said. “It’s for the best interests of the players which we all have a duty of care to pursue. We’ll get on with it and deal with the repercussions as they unfold.”

Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan offered an insight into the challenges of managing multiple deflections late in the match.

“We’re all well aware of the protocols. Anton didn’t feel like he needed to come off but something the medical team saw on the sideline indicated otherwise so he came off,” McMillan said.

“The tough thing for us was the game was right in the balance. You’re making decisions around do you exhaust your bench; will it go to extra time, do you need to save somebody. Those decisions got taken away from us because of the head assessments to Quinn and Anton.”

In a brutal contest both teams were left sweating on casualties.

The Crusaders, already missing Will Jordan and Braydon Ennor for the season, watched Tamaiti Williams suffer a hamstring injury after nine minutes and rookie first-five Rivez Reihana depart late.

In more welcome news Penney suggested the Crusaders will welcome back All Blacks David Havili and Fletcher Newell this week.

McMillan, though, faces a worrying wait to determine the extent of Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie’s a rib issue after a huge hit from Crusaders midfielder Levi Aumua in the first half.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission