Lower tackle height linked to reduction in head collisions in Scotland

A study released by Scottish Rugby on Tuesday suggests lowering the tackle height in the men’s community game could significantly reduce the rate of head collisions.

The study is the first of three pieces of research conducted by the University of Edinburgh and commissioned by Scottish Rugby to evaluate recent changes to the tackle height for community players in Scotland.

It found that change was linked to a 45 per cent reduction in head-on-head contact, with data collected during the 2023/24 trial season also suggesting players were 22 per cent more likely to tackle bent at the waist.

According to a Scottish Rugby release, researchers said that change in behaviour led to fewer head-to-head and head-to-shoulder collisions between tacklers and ball carriers.

As a result, Scottish Rugby recommended an opt-in international law trial to lower the tackle height from the shoulder to below the sternum or breastbone throughout the community game.

The research is the first peer reviewed study to evaluate the lowered tackle height law, which was introduced by Scottish Rugby ahead of the 2023/24 season, as part of World Rugby Law trials, and made compulsory across all amateur playing levels.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh used video analyses to study 18,702 tackles from 60 men’s community matches between 2022-24, to compare the pre-trial and trial seasons.

According to the study, lowering the tackle height was linked to a 29 per cent reduction in head-to-shoulder contact for the tackler and ball carrier, and a 19 per cent decrease in the rate of head and upper torso contacts to the ball carrier.

On-field sanctions related to high tackles increased by 300 per cent in the trial season, while there was no significant change in the rate of all other foul play, the study states.

There was also no significant increase in the rate that a tackler’s head came into contact with the ball-carrier’s hips or knees.

Lead author, Hamish Gornall, of the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House School of Education and Sport, said: “Our findings show lowering the maximum legal height of the tackle in men’s community rugby proved effective in altering tackling behaviour in line with the aim of the recommendations.

“Collecting prospective injury data, as well as continued monitoring of player behaviour across subsequent seasons would be beneficial to further investigate the implications of the change.”

Scottish Rugby Chief Medical Officer, Dr David Pugh, said: “At Scottish Rugby we strive to reduce the incidence of concussion in as many ways as we can. We are also working with the university on an injury surveillance project, and we hope that this will see a significant drop in concussion rates due to the lower tackle height trial.

“Hamish’s research clearly demonstrates that player behaviours have changed, reducing head-to-head and head to shoulder contacts which should lead to reduced numbers of concussions in our players.”

Mark Harrington, Chief Player Welfare and Rugby Services Officer at World Rugby, said: “It’s hugely encouraging to see the impact trials of a lower legal tackle height are having in Scottish community rugby.

“World Rugby first coordinated these trials around the world in 2023 and that work is now bearing fruit. It should give everyone confidence that the results in Scotland are in line with the positive outcomes we are seeing in the rest of the world.

“I would like to thank all of those players, officials, researchers and referees in Scotland and beyond who have made these trials such a success.

“Player welfare is World Rugby’s No.1 priority and we will never stand still in this area. We’ll continue to work with valued partners such as Scottish Rugby to refine community tackle laws, ensuring that rugby is a fun game to play and as safe as it possibly can be.”