Wasps' Dai Young has called on officials not to go overboard when judging high tackles after Kurtley Beale was yellow-carded against Connacht at the weekend.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live he said: "Player welfare is huge and we are 100% behind that but we have to decide whether we play touch rugby or contact."
"There is no way that was a yellow card. It is starting to get a bit of a joke really," he said of Beale's tackle on Niyi Adeolokun.
"I don't want to play down the player safety element, but we can't go overboard with it. Anything above the nipple area at the moment seems to be a yellow card, which is taking some things away from the game," he added.
Speaking after the incident itself, the Austalia international said: "They are cracking down on contact with the head, and obviously player welfare is extremely important in our game.
"There was no intent to make contact with the head, but I was a bit lazy there and he has great feet, and it didn't go right for me. I am happy to cop it."
A disappointing day and result but we will use that this week and get ready for Saturday at the Sportsground #CRLive #ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/xsuqpd6L1Q
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) December 11, 2016
Connacht entertain Wasps in the return fixture this Saturday and are only three points behind their rivals.
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