RFU decide on sternum for new community rugby tackle height in England

• Sternum/belly will be target area (in line with NZ and Scotland plans)
• Ball carrier will not be allowed to “lower height significantly” into contact area (in line with France)
• Pick and go unaffected
• Training package to be developed and rolled out in digital and face-to-face formats from May 2023
• Age grade contact sessions to be allowed over summer
• New variation impact the community game (below Championship) from 1 July 2023

Following a calamitous communications announcement in January, the England Rugby’s RFU Council, have now announced that they will lower the tackle height in community rugby to the sternum/belly for the 2023-24 season. Initially, the RFU announced they would be lowering it to the waist, which caused uproar across the English game.

The RFU has, since then, undertaken extensive consultation to listen to feedback on how to best define and implement the law variation proposals. They have confirmed that they will be using the base of the sternum as the new level for what will be a high tackle, as opposed to the shoulders as at present. This is in line with the World Rugby law trial opt-in which encourages Unions to trial lower tackle heights if they wish to.

Ball carrier dip

The RFU have also included a restriction on the ball carrier as well as the tackler, where by they “must not lower their height significantly before making contact with an opponent in open play”. However, as yet, the refereeing implementation of that has yet to be unveiled. That does bring the RFU into line with the French lower tackle height package who also outlaw the dip into contact.

No impact on the pick and go

Following a large volume of feedback from stakeholders, the ‘pick and go’, or ‘pick and drive’ will not come into the law interpretation due to the low forces and impact speeds involved. This is in line with the other Unions who are trialing lower heights.

Age grade rugby activity change

The Council has also approved a Regulation amendment to allow a framework for age grade rugby activity over the summer, enabling appropriate contact activity to take place. This builds on the summer framework as used in the last few years and will replace the previous age grade out of season regulations which bans contact sessions over the summer.

The RFU statement said that the consultation process has helped inform:

• The description of the low-risk zone, law wording and ball carrier descriptions
• The part of open play that will be officiated as it currently is – i.e. the ‘pick and drive’
• The application and empathetic approach to how sanctions will be imposed
• The content and style of support materials to be rolled out
• The requirement to encourage change in the tackle height in the elite game
• The monitoring of the reduction of head-on-head impacts and any potential changes in participation

Guidance coming soon

Law application guidance is now being written based on the findings of the consultation. The guidance, which will be published “in the coming weeks”, will focus on helping players, coaches and match officials interpret and apply the law changes. It will also cover other areas of law that will come under additional focus. That will include actions of the ball carrier, sanctioning, clarification of open play when tackles occur etc).

A detailed plan of content and training materials for each specific rugby audience is planned with guidance documents, training videos, quizzes and online and face to face training. They will run from May throughout the summer and through into the next season.

Stakeholder ‘consultation’

In addition to club/stakeholder meetings, the RFU gathered a wide range of views, thoughts and ideas from 8,500 people through an online open survey. There remains a large body of opinion against the proposals with an alternative Community Clubs Union being formed in a bid to try and replace the RFU Council and force a u-turn on the plans.

The RFU say their consultation process found:

• Almost two-thirds of respondents (62%) are concerned about the risk of concussion in the context of long-term brain health in rugby. Former players, parents of age-grade players and match officials are most concerned, while current players are less concerned.
• 35% of respondents describe the upper limit of the new safe tackle zone as “below the base of the sternum” (29% describing as midriff and 22% stomach). Older age groups tend to focus on this description, while younger adults, parents and teachers lean towards describing the area as the “stomach”.
• An overwhelming majority (88%) agree that the pick and go / pick and drive should not change as a result of proposed tackle height law changes.
• Many attendees of the forums and Panels recognised that the “the ‘pick and drive’ occurs at lower speeds and with lower impact, though a small number of individuals, especially coaches and match officials, sought clarity on when the pick and go ends in open play.
• Almost half of respondents (45%) agree that the shoulders and head of the ball carrier should be above the hips when carrying the ball into contact. “Head above hips” was frequently prompted by forum attendees and panellists. Around one in five respondents agree that the ball carrier must not lower their body height within a set distance of the tackler. However, there was little consensus as to what that distance should be.
• Just over half of survey respondents rank “in person resources” as the most important way that the RFU can support implementation of these changes, with Players, Coaches and Match Officials suggesting joint training sessions in pre-season. A quarter felt that on-demand online training would be most helpful, with teachers and coaches particularly keen on this option.

“I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this consultation and to say thank you in advance to the wider rugby family who will be vital to ensuring we implement this change successfully,” said RFU President, Nigel Gillingham.

“We along with many other Unions across the world are lowering the tackle height to reduce the risk of concussion. We know change is challenging however, it is imperative that we are guided by the science to help make the game safer for our players. As part of our ongoing injury surveillance studies, we will monitor the impact of this law variation and would encourage as many clubs as possible to sign up to participate in CRISP by contributing their data. It will enable us to continue to monitor and introduce injury prevention strategies.”

RFU Domestic Law changes – Law 9, Foul play