Safeguards turning rugby league into ‘fiery rugby union’ says Jon Wilkin- Serious About Rugby League

The former St Helens captain was making his comments about the bank podcast, and despite his initial praise for the current state of the game regarding boss contact laws, Wilkin continued to make outrageous claims about how safe it can be made.

“Too consumed by safety” – the bold claim of the former Saints captain

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Much of the talk about concussion in sport and rugby league in particular has come from the ongoing legal case where the RFL is being sued by a number of former players for failing to protect and/or inform about the dangers of the sport.

As such, securing the game has become a more difficult task than it was twenty, ten or even five years ago. In this regard, Jon Wilkin called for assurance that actually does another exercise and not just a ‘box ticking’ exercise.

He argued: “People are going to play it, so we have to find a way to ensure it that’s not just a tick box. I think we can consume optics because at Lloyd’s of London, where they derived the insurance market, as long as there are certain movements to be seen to improve safety, then it makes it more investable, more insurable.”

He then went on to make the first of several extreme suggestions, stating, “Because of the litigation hanging over the game, I feel like we’re consumed by safety right now. It’s like safety is everything. Let’s get more reckless. Fit.”

“Where does it end?” – Jon Wilkin mocks the ‘cancellation of the kick-off’ and draws a comparison to Rugby Union

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After his earlier comment about the current interpretation of equipment height laws hit a sweet spot, with Wilkin demanding to “Leave it now,” co-host Jenna Brooks reminded him of the impending rule changes in 2025.

To that, Wilkin replied: “I don’t think (tackle height) needs to be lowered. I think we’ve addressed head injuries and it’s dangerous and bad and it’s reduced the number of head injuries.”

Head injuries are still among the most common injuries in the game, although several players are leaving the field and have not failed Head Injury Assessments in Round 11 of Super League, including but not limited to Tex Hoy and London captain Will Lovell .

Underneath, there was quite a bit of talk about nullifying the kickoff, given that kickoffs are where concussions are most likely to happen. Last week the RFL informed the media that although kickoffs have a “high incidence rate”, most concussions occur in general play due to the limited number of concussions.

It was the concept of canceling the start that saw Jon Wilkin consider that the sanitation and safety element of the sport had gone too far, maintaining danger as the sport’s “selling point”.

He revealed: “Now there is talk of canceling the kick off, where does it end? Do the teams just stand 40 yards apart and kick each other because this is rugby union, isn’t it?

“I think safety is obviously important, but there are some jobs in life that are inherently dangerous and we can’t underestimate the appeal of that danger to our sport.”