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Thread: World Rugby set to lower elite game’s tackle height

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    Immortal jargan83's Avatar
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    World Rugby set to lower elite game’s tackle height

    The legal tackle height is to be lowered globally across all elite rugby, despite a growing revolt against plans to roll out the most seismic changes to the way the game is played since it turned professional. The chief executive of World Rugby, Alan Gilpin, confirmed on Thursday that it planned to follow the Rugby Football Union’s lead in rewriting its rules on an issue that has left the sport bitterly divided.

    But, in an exclusive interview, he also said the likelihood was that the legal tackle height in the international and professional club game, which is at shoulder level, would not be lowered as far as the waist.

    The RFU decision to ban tackling above the waist in the community game in England provoked outrage, but Gilpin gave it a ringing endorsement and said other countries were set to follow suit.

    He also confirmed World Rugby was planning to stage a global law trial from January 1, 2024, initially at amateur level, with a decision yet to be made over whether that would involve a prohibition on tackles above the waist or the sternum.

    Unlike the RFU law change, which takes effect from next season, any change to the legal tackle height at the top end of the sport would not come any earlier than the 2024-25 season, and may not even be in place until after the 2027 World Cup.

    “Yes, we’re looking to make sure that we are implementing a lower tackle height across all parts of the game,” Gilpin said. “How that’s actually implemented is slightly different in the community game to the elite game.

    “You’re in a slightly different environment, for a number of reasons, in the elite part of the game, particularly at an international level, because the level of — for example — medical provision, diagnostic ability etc, is very different. We obviously have television match officials, head injury assessment, the ability for immediate pitch-side care in all elite-level rugby that you don’t have in the community game.

    “We’ve got to recognise that they’re not the same sport.”

    The RFU has stood firm over its ban on tackles above the waist, which its council refused to consult the wider game on before voting for. So fierce has been the backlash from those affected that Bill Sweeney, the governing body’s chief executive, and its board are in danger of facing a vote of no confidence. But Gilpin defended the ban, which was announced against a background of the latest wave of legal action against World Rugby and the RFU by former players with dementia or other brain disorders.

    “The RFU, obviously, is in the process of implementing some changes around tackle height that we support,” he said.

    Because we know, from all of the research and science and medicine, that lowering the tackle height is a really important part of making the game safer.

    “There’s a lot of work to do to educate people. But we’ve got to, as a sport, try to find that really difficult but hugely important balance between safety, but making the game entertaining to watch.

    “It’s not binary. It’s not one or the other. It’s how do we make the game safer and a better spectacle to watch and a better game to play?

    “It’s tough because it’s a really, really complex message to deliver. On one level, it’s very simple. We know from all the research that’s been done, and it is incredibly comprehensive, you’re four-and-a-half times more likely to sustain a head injury when you tackle from an upright position than when the tackler is bent at the waist.

    “We need to get players tackling lower at every part of the game. Obviously, there’s an elite part of the game where we’re doing a huge amount of work, and we’ve used sanctions, and red cards in particular, trying to drive changes in behaviour.

    “When you look at the community game, it’s challenging to roll that out on a global basis.

    “It requires significant buy-in from the game in different parts of the world.

    “You’ll always have the traditionalists, I guess, who understandably say, ‘Stop tweaking things and don’t change too much, because we’re really concerned about losing the inherent fabric of the sport’ — and we all absolutely get that. At the same time, we’ve got to make sure that we are attracting people to the sport that is safe to play, or is as safe to play as a sport that’s a contact one can be.

    “There’s always work to do in implementing change and how you can consult around change and how you communicate and educate around change. But the key message is, let’s get the tackle height lower at every level of the game because that will reduce — absolutely reduce — the number of head injuries that we see in rugby.

    “That’s really important if, again, we’re going to win the battle for the hearts and minds of not just the young people we want to play the game, boys and girls, but the mums and dads who may be concerned about injuries in rugby.

    “So, we’ve got a responsibility from a World Rugby perspective, to work hard with our member federations around the world.

    “That communication challenge is tougher in places where rugby’s got a long heritage and history and is played in significant numbers, and that’s what the RFU is experiencing in this last week or so.”

    Gilpin’s declaration comes as momentum is building towards a vote of no confidence in RFU chief executive Sweeney, with close to 250 clubs now in support of a special general meeting in the wake of the governing body’s move to implement new tackle laws.

    Community Clubs Union, an independent organisation launched in response to last week’s announcement, has spearheaded the campaign. They are hoping in the coming days to reach final sign-off on a letter requesting the special general meeting, which requires the support of at least 100 members of the union, and are coordinating the process of collecting letters from each dissenting club, which must be signed by a chairperson and a secretary.

    https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-u...27-p5cfu9.html

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    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Inevitable. I think some balance could be struck by removing an incentive for the ball carriers to lower going into contact. Perhaps remove the automatic turn-over for being held up? Posession to the team going forward? Maybe re-start with a tap kick? Maybe even a penalty against the ball carrier if he drops carelessly and hits the low tackler in the head?

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    Immortal GIGS20's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shasta View Post
    Inevitable. I think some balance could be struck by removing an incentive for the ball carriers to lower going into contact. Perhaps remove the automatic turn-over for being held up? Posession to the team going forward? Maybe re-start with a tap kick? Maybe even a penalty against the ball carrier if he drops carelessly and hits the low tackler in the head?
    I wonder whether changing tackle height might do that automatically.High tackle height seems do have two expected payoffs, wrapping up the ball, and reducing the dominance of the ball carriers momentum.Since the ball carrier is less likely to lose a strong stance and more likely to have the ball free for an offload, I think there's a high likelihood that smart coaches will begin to notice that upright ball runners can get some advantages and implement this in their planning.There's also the fact that the lower the tackler sets up, the les laterally mobile he is and this might provide more opportunities for players to step around defenders.I think it will definitely increase ball in play time and maybe average scores in matches.Might not be a bad thing, however I do think they need to start consider reducing concussion rates in tacklers if they're serious about stamping it out of the game. Some of the worst concussions I've seen have been the tackler.

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    Veteran Sheikh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GIGS20 View Post
    ... I do think they need to start consider reducing concussion rates in tacklers if they're serious about stamping it out of the game. Some of the worst concussions I've seen have been the tackler.
    I'm not convinced that moving the tackler's head to level with the ball carrier's hips/knees is going to reduce those concussions, though

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sheikh View Post
    I'm not convinced that moving the tackler's head to level with the ball carrier's hips/knees is going to reduce those concussions, though
    Exactly - If you get your head position wrong for the tackle: knee to head or hip bone to head is a very real possibility.

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    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Apparently it's not inevitable any more. A Nadia Comenici-like backflip. 10-out-of-10.

    ‘Not inevitable’: World Rugby boss backtracks on tackle height change comments.

    https://www.watoday.com.au/sport/rug...28-p5cg5r.html

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    Veteran Sheikh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by .X. View Post
    Exactly - If you get your head position wrong for the tackle: knee to head or hip bone to head is a very real possibility.
    In order to avoid head clashes with knees/hips, tacklers will be encouraged to tackle side-on with their head behind the ball carrier's body. Surely that will lead to them ending up on the wrong side of rucks and either getting pinged for not rolling away/slowing the ball down or getting rucked.

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    Nice in theory, but they can encourage tacklers to do whatever they like. Ball carriers will be equally encouraged to make it as difficult as possible, so will try and turn every tackle into a head-on if possible and go full Jonah. Even when caught side on, they won't just be placidly taking the tackle either...they'll step in to destroy the tacklers form (including preferred head position), or step out and drop him around flying feet.

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    Champion andrewg's Avatar
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    Some worthwhile contributions to mull over:

    The Wrap - Geoff Parkes - The Roar


    Geoff points out that defending a pick-and-go is going to be interesting.

    Ross Tucker - Consultant to World Rugby

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    Legend Contributor brokendown gunfighter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shasta View Post
    Apparently it's not inevitable any more. A Nadia Comenici-like backflip. 10-out-of-10.

    ‘Not inevitable’: World Rugby boss backtracks on tackle height change comments.

    https://www.watoday.com.au/sport/rug...28-p5cg5r.html
    don't trust those bloody Russian judges!

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    Immortal GIGS20's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sheikh View Post
    I'm not convinced that moving the tackler's head to level with the ball carrier's hips/knees is going to reduce those concussions, though
    Ok, I didn't state it directly, but that was the strong implication I was trying to deliver

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