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New tackle height among five law changes confirmed by World Rugby
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World Rugby have approved a permanent reduction in the legal tackle height in community rugby following successful trials involving more than 150,000 tackles across 10 unions over the past two years.
The law, which comes into force from July 1 for seasons beginning after that date, will allow unions to choose a legal tackle height of either the waist or the base of the sternum. The decision was ratified by the World Rugby Council in Dublin.
According to World Rugby, the trials demonstrated that lowering the tackle height reduced the number of upright tackles, which are considered the most likely to result in avoidable head impacts.
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The governing body will also begin testing a lower tackle height in the elite game, with initial trials set to take place at the World Rugby Junior World Championship in Georgia later this month.
Several other law trials were also adopted into full law, including the scrum brake foot, restrictions on water carriers entering the field of play, the formal recognition of the television match official as part of the officiating team, and the continued option for elite competitions to use 20-minute red cards if they choose.
“Player welfare is at the heart of everything that rugby does. I welcome the adoption of a lower tackle height into community law,” World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson said.
“I would like to thank all the unions and academics and most importantly players and referees who took part in the trials that have helped us to reach this point.
“The trials from around the world show that this is the right thing to do to make our game safer and more enjoyable for community players who are the lifeblood of our sport.
“Rugby has always led the way when it comes to making considered changes to improve the welfare of our players and alongside provisions such as smart mouthguards in the elite game, we’ve shown time and again that we’ll make the big calls and that we’re getting them right, backed by the evidence.”
