Joe Schmidt: Time to tackle reckless kicking in rucks

Joe Schmidt’s call for World Rugby to review the practice of players attempting to kick the ball out of rucks gained further credence yesterday following the decision not to cite England’s Mike Brown after his boot made contact with Conor Murray’s face in Saturday’s Six Nations tie.

The Ireland scrum-half was forced from the field with a cut close to his eye following the 70th-minute incident at Twickenham and needed eight stitches in the wound, although head coach Schmidt reported yesterday that the Munster man had thankfully escaped any damage to the left eye itself.

Brown’s actions had not warranted any on-field sanction as they had been deemed to be accidental given the context of his freedom to dislodge the ball from the ruck with his boot.