World Rugby intends to lower the legal tackling height at elite level worldwide in the coming years to reduce the risk of head injuries in the sport, while the grassroots game in Wales is set to follow England's ban on tackling above the waist.
The move by the Rugby Football Union has been criticised by players and coaches for a lack of consultation and what it might mean for the future of the game, but World Rugby's chief executive Alan Gilpin has endorsed the move and said the sport's governing body would make similar changes in the coming years.
However, those changes at the elite game, which would see the sternum being the likely cut-off point for high tackles, are unlikely to be introduced immediately unlike the changes to the community game. The earliest we would see them could be the 2024-25 season and they may not even be in place until after the 2027 World Cup.
