English rugby bosses have been inundated with calls to reverse their decision to lower the legal tackle height to the waist and below.
A storm of protest greeted the bombshell move, aimed at reducing head impact exposure and concussion risk in the tackle for both ball carrier and tackler.
“Who the hell did they get to advise on this,” tweeted England star Joe Marler as a petition to radically alter the sport below professional level quickly attracted 46,000 signatures.
Former Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan said: “The majority of concussions in the tackle happen to the tackler. Logic would suggest that with a lower tackle height concussions will increase.
“How the RFU have decided to run this experiment on amateur players beggars belief.”
But RFU president Nigel Gillingham countered: “Evidence from our own research and from around the world clearly shows that lowering the tackle height will reduce head impact exposure and the risk of concussion.”
