This last weekend I saw the blue card for the first time in a rugby match and was not aware of it being used. We all know about the red card for sending a player off permanently and a yellow sending a player to the naughty boys chair for 10 minutes so what is a blue card then?
Matches where there is no head injury assessments taking place also known as the ding dong test is the answer. The referee can use common sense removing players from the field permanently if he feels they are concussed or showing signs of concussion and the blue card is shown to the player. This then triggers a report and follow up making sure the player receives medical attention. All of these incidents are collected and helps provide the data that may help make the sport safer.
Most players will not even realise they have been concussed and others will have an ego that they need to stay on. This is why it is important that others look out for player safety. I broke my ribs during a game and had no idea due to the adrenaline and now have a third boob due to scar tissue. Taking a head knock would then be up to others to spot and even then it is not that obvious. A hard tackle could result in whip lash similar to a car crash and concussion even when the head was not hit. The severe head jarring could concuss your brain and why this type of contact sport is never going to be 100% safe. I am quite grateful I stopped playing at 25 and never pursued a professional career which was a very real option.
The obvious ones are when a player has been knocked out or takes a blow to the head as a referees job is to not only blow the game, but also player safety. When you consider more than 99% of the matches each weekend do not have an official referee let alone a head assessment testing area player welfare is at risk.
When I was refereeing the roster would come out on a Wednesday with the hope you would select more than 1 match. This all depended on the times of the fixtures and where they were which was sometimes possible to do at least two matches on a Saturday. Pay was not even mentioned back in those days like it is now and for sure I would have done far more with monetary incentives.
Being an ex player refereeing which is very rare I was well aware of player safety and on many occasions I stopped play before injuries could happen. I was always scared of one team having a much stringer scrum because of neck injuries when the scrum collapses and the stronger team continues to push. I have seen players and team mates get injured when it could have been prevented.
With brain injuries a big thing with rugby these days it is not only the professional players who are at risk and it is even the club players in the bottom league and school boy rugby. I know in junior soccer/football no heading is allowed and there are no throw ins so they are using common sense, but with rugby there is no hiding from concussion or head knocks. The laws can only protect you so much and the rest is up to the players to look out for each other.