Nigel Owens: My verdict on Welsh rugby's viral moment that's sparked difficulty

There's already been a fair amount of noise this week around what's been another controversial incident in an international rugby game.

South Africa's clash with Australia has been largely overshadowed by accusations Eben Etzebeth faked an head injury in order to later come back onto the field.

It's worth stressing here that Rassie Erasmus and the South Africans insist they've done nothing wrong.

I admittedly don't know the ins and outs of it, so I'm not going to accuse anyone of any wrongdoing here.

But I think more broadly speaking, when you officiate a rugby game, you've got to understand that the players are going to try to get away with whatever they can.

Whether that's within the playing enclosure, and that happened with me in the Bloodgate scandal, where Tom Williams came off for blood and it was proven to be fake.

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We've also seen players take a dive, make the most of it, hoping the opposition maybe will get sanctioned for it.

So it goes on in rugby, and rugby cannot take the moral high ground.

If any player or coach can find a loophole in the laws, whether it be on the field or within the match day, they are going to do it.

That's why protocols and stuff are in place. That's where you have the match day doctor, which would be a neutral medical official, looking at things in that game. This is also hugely important as it makes sure the game looks after not just its integrity but the safety of the players too.

This is why you have citing commissioners and match day commissioners. To be sure that everything is abiding within the laws of the game.

But people will still always try to find a loophole and do what they can to get away with it.

We saw it in a big talking point on the weekend, which has probably gone viral. Callum Sheedy's header in the Scarlets v Cardiff game.

Now, a lot of people say that was a very innovative and brilliant piece of play. But others will say it's contrary to act of good sportsmanship in the game.

There's a difficulty here. There's nothing in law that says you can't head to the ball. There are areas that say if you want to try to gain possession of the ball, you must try to gain possession of that ball. So it could come under that.

But there's nothing specifically in law that says that a header is not allowed. Unless you apply acts contrary to good sportsmanship.

I remember quite a few years ago that this was discussed in a referees' meeting, and I think everybody was in agreement that if players were allowed to head the ball in rugby coaches would bring in an innovative part of the play that will push the boundaries of what they could get away with.

So instead of players trying to go for an interception, you may find them now trying to see them header the ball because it takes away the risk of a deliberate knock-on.

We may see players who have to compete for the ball, and instead of trying to stick their hand out and catch that ball and risk knocking the ball on, they may now try to header that ball on, which takes away then the risk overall.

I certainly do not want to see this become something of a norm. lt's not soccer. It's as simple as that.

But if coaches find a way to get away with these sorts of things then they will try to do just that. It's human nature, so rugby is no different.

I think in regards to the Etzebeth incident, if there's a case to answer then it will be looked into - and I'm not for one minute suggesting there is a case to answer - then it should be dealt with appropriately, as that would be crossing a line for me.

Similarly if there's no case to answer and they've done everything within the laws of the game and within the spirit of the game then there's nothing really to discuss.

But don't kid yourself into thinking otherwise. There will always be coaches and players always willing to push the boundaries. Rugby isn't immune to that.

What I will say, though, is there are lines that shouldn't be crossed. Gamesmanship, but when it comes to player welfare and player safety and the integrity of the game, then for me that's a non-negotiable.