World Rugby urges members to trial 'belly tackles' to reduce concussion risk
World Rugby is encouraging its member unions to trial “belly tackles” in the community game in a bid to make the sport safer.
The global governing body’s executive board has recommended, subject to World Rugby Council approval, that national unions consult over lowering the tackle height at non-elite level in a bid to reduce concussions caused by head-on-head contact between a tackler and the ball-carrier.
World Rugby’s recommendation is that the height be set below the sternum, which it also refers to as a “belly tackle”.
The World Rugby Council will not meet to consider this proposal for approval until May, but World Rugby is making this announcement to enable unions to engage in full consultation ahead of their new seasons.
The trials will be opt-in – unions do not have to take part, but almost all are understood to be seriously considering World Rugby’s recommendation.
World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said his organisation was also hoping to conduct a lowered tackle height trial in the elite game and would not rule out law changes in the future that would lower tackle height at the top level.
“The clear mounting evidence is that doing nothing is simply not an option,” Gilpin said.
“Specifically in the community game, head-on-head contact is something we need to reduce. We have to view these proposals as an opportunity to grow the sport at community level in tandem with reducing player risk.”
There has been a mixed response globally to initiatives aimed at lowering tackle height.
In England, the Rugby Football Union faced widespread criticism after it announced in January plans to ban tackling above the waist from next season in the community game.
The RFU apologised for how it had communicated its proposal and has engaged in a fresh period of consultation on the issue.
A trial of lowering tackle height to the waist – above the shorts line – was commissioned in the French community game and endorsed by World Rugby in 2019 with some encouraging results.
Gilpin reported a 63 per cent reduction in head-on-head contact and a 16 per cent increase in participation levels. The study also found the change in tackle height enabled ball-carriers to achieve a greater number of offloads, improving the flow of the game.
Last year New Zealand consulted on lowering tackle height to below the sternum, while the Scottish Rugby Union began its consultation on community game tackle height last month.
Mark Harrington, World Rugby’s chief player welfare and rugby services officer, tried to allay fears that the changes would make the game only open to players with certain body types.
“That definitely is not the intention,” he said.
“Unions have flexibility to the level at which they adopt this. Our recommendation is below the sternum. We certainly wouldn’t be looking at recommending that every tackle is a chop tackle around the ankles, which admittedly for big guys is a challenge. There are some that might put it at nipple height.
“People say we’re trying to drive the game to the floor. We’re not, we’re just trying to get heads out of the same space.”
Asked to respond to the reaction to the RFU’s proposals, Gilpin said: “We understand change is challenging. People who are already in the rugby community to some extent are going to resist changes to what they know, and we get that.
“This is about educating the whole community. That consultation period is really key. You’ve got to try to take the community game with you and that’s not to say that’s easy, because there’s always going to be resistance.
“But again, the evidence is unequivocal. Whilst in the short term, there’ll be some challenges to that again, we think the evidence shows that that will make the game more attractive to more people.”
World Rugby will assist member unions with training resources, with training technique programmes mandatory before any trial begins.
Unions will also be encouraged to measure the impact of the trials, which World Rugby said will be reviewed in the second quarter of 2025.
The steps to improve safety come at a time when separate legal proceedings involving elite and community game players are under way.
World Rugby insists though that this is an initiative driven by scientific evidence, rather than a response to a legal challenge.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
26 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
26 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
26 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
26 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
26 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments