Seminal moments have been slow in coming to Odsal in recent years and opinions are split over whether Thursday night’s first match trialling a new rugby league tackle law represented a significant step in the fight against concussion or an idea the sport should swiftly forget.
The crumbling venue, witness to World Cup ties and a record six-figure Challenge Cup crowd in 1954, hosted the first match in an initial eight-week experiment at academy level which bars tackles above armpit height at first contact, and penalises all contact with the head at neck.
The match between the respective under-18 teams of Bradford and Leeds, which was won by the latter 50-32, featured the expected stratospheric penalty count, with 57 interventions by referee Matthew Lynn overall, including 49 for high tackles.
