SINCE LES KISS became involved in the Irish coaching set-up in 2008, the choke tackle has become one of the team’s most potent weapons. Brought in from rugby league, the defensive strategy involves holding up the opposition player by tackling them around the ball.

Not everyone is a fan of the choke tackle though and Welsh defence coach Shaun Edwards thinks that rugby authorities should look to ban it as it encourages players to tackle high.

“The choke tackle – I think it’s very, very dangerous,” Edwards said to the BBC.

“To me it’s a bit of a blight on the game at the moment. Everybody’s going on about concussions, people tackling too high, well let’s start with that.”

Edwards made the comments at the Welsh press conference ahead of Saturday’s game against France and also asked the journalists there what they thought about the issue.

“I think the referees should referee the tackle for longer and does anyone here think it adds to the game in any shape or form… does it make the game more exciting?,” he said.

The prospect of the choke tackle being banned is unlikely but allowing the tackle to play out for a few seconds longer isn’t a bad suggestion. It could be a way of cutting down on the number of scrums in a game, which has to be a good thing for the spectator.

Should choke tackles be outlawed, should the tackle be refereed for longer or should everything stay the way it is?

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