Community rugby in Wales will adopt World Rugby's global trial to lower the tackle height to below the base of the sternum, or breastbone, it has been announced.
The Welsh Rugby Union has formally voted to opt in to World Rugby's trial, which will take effect from July 1, 2023, and run through the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
The trial is aimed at reducing head-on-head contact in the tackle and decreasing the number of concussions. It is hoped the change may also speed up the game by promoting a higher rate of offloads and a rise in line breaks while the number of rucks is expected to decrease.
Who will the tackle height trial apply to in Wales?
The trial will apply to all community games at age-grade (from U12) to Premiership (women's and girls) and Championship (men's) in the community game for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. This includes rugby in schools, colleges and universities.
The WRU say at U12s the existing pathway tackle law of waist height and below will remain and not adhere to introduction of the new tackle height trial.
The Indigo Premiership sides will join the regional teams in being excluded from the trial at this stage.
For the purposes of the trial, World Rugby Union Law 9.13 will read as follows: "WRU Tackle Height Law Trial – 2023-24 and 2024-25... Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the sternum* even if the tackle starts below the line of the sternum.”
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Why is the tackle height trial being introduced?
The WRU cites World Rugby and studies as having shown that head injury risk is at its highest when tackles are made to the head and shoulder and lowest when tackles are made to the belly area.
The purpose of this trial is to ultimately reduce incidents of head-on-head impact in the tackle and to incentivise greater use of the belly tackle.
The WRU says the formal vote follows an earlier vote to implement the trial and an "extensive community consultation process" with Welsh rugby stakeholders and more than 1,000 people "actively involved" in the community game.
What have the WRU said?
WRU community rugby director Geraint John said: "As the guardian of the game in Wales, the WRU bears the responsibility to make it as safe and as fun as possible. Since World Rugby recommended that the tackle height in rugby should be lowered, the WRU has engaged with more than 1,000 administrators, coaches, players and referees across the country to go through the reasoning behind the change and how it will be implemented.
“As a result, from 1 July 2023 the legal tackle height for the game at large in Wales will be below the base of the sternum. This will apply from under 12s to Premiership (women's and girls) and Championship (male) in the community game.
“As well as having a big impact on player safety, reducing concussions and head-on-head contact. this change is also expected to have positive technical and tactical implications for the game. There is likely to be an increase in the rate of offloads and a rise in line breaks, making the game more enjoyable. With more passes, offloads and potentially tries in a game, it should be more fun to play and watch. This has proven to be the case in French rugby. The continuity within the game is likely to increase through a decrease in the number of rucks.”
What to expect
The WRU says that observations from other governing bodies who will be embracing the trial from this summer including:
- Expect disruption in the first 12 weeks as players and referees get used to the new policy. It could take three years to fully embed (World Rugby)
- It will result in more penalties initially, but the number will decrease significantly (FFR)
- It highlights a blatant lack of tackling technique (NZRFU)
- Player security will be enhanced (RFU)
- More people will play the game (FFR)
The four Ls
John added: "We have already done a lot of work with coaches across the country, and this will continue in order to embed not only the new law, but also the technical aspects of tackle technique. We have been hammering home the ‘4Ls’ to our coaches:"
Low – Adjust body height to make a safe and legal tackle
Look – Locate where contact is going to be made
Lock – Head firmly behind or to the side and arms held tightly around ball carrier
Land – Complete the tackle by taking the ball carrier to the floor
“We are doing whatever we can to educate coaches and teachers on how best to tackle safely with correct technique and our hope is that pre-season training ahead of the 2023-24 campaign will allow players to make the necessary changes to their technique," he said.
“The referees have also been working hard on their interpretation of the new law and we hope that fans will also understand the changes that are taking place and give players, referees and coaches a chance to adapt to these alterations.”
For more information, you can visit the WRU Game Locker at https://bit.ly/WRUTackleHeight
