World Rugby confirms lower tackle height for community game to be added to law

• Community rugby tackle height to be lowered from 1 July
• 10 unions trialed the sternum or waist tackle height for tacklers over 2 years with over 150,000 tackles studied
• Other successful law trials adopted into full law including the scrum brake foot

World Rugby’s top governance body, it’s Council, has approved adoption a lower tackle height in community rugby to be adopted into law. This follows two years of positive trials around the community game globally across ten major Unions. For the first time, the elite game will also trial the lower height at the Junior World Championship in Georgia from 27 June. 

The new law – allowing Unions to choose either waist or base of the sternum – will come into effect from 1 July 2026 for seasons that start after that date. 

As part of the decision making process, there has been extensive evaluation of trials run across the 10 national member unions involving more than 150,000 studied tackles which demonstrated a shift in player behavior and medical evidence has started to show that player injuries are falling too. Somewhat obviously, the trials showed a lower legal tackle height was effective in reducing the chances of upright tackles occurring, which are the most likely to cause avoidable head impacts.

Unions will still have the ability to use Game On community law variations to adapt secondary laws in areas such as pick and go and double tackles – either allowing or restricting them as each Union deems fit.

The new community laws come into effect from 1 July for seasons beginning after that point.

Global law trials to become full law

World Rugby Council also voted to move a number of other successful trials into full law. These include:

• The scrum brake foot which reduces axial loading (pressure on heads and necks) in the scrum
• Restrictions on water carriers entering the field of play
• Confirming the role of the Television Match Official as a formal part of the officiating team
• The 20 minute red card replacement for the elite game.

The amendments will come into force from 1 July and the wordings will be on the World Rugby Laws section or world.rugby/laws in due course.

The newer Global Law Trials – lineout not straight, protect the 9, scrum half offside lines at scrum – will be decided on next year.

Welcoming Council’s decision World Rugby Chair, Brett Robinson also thanked those unions whose work in trialing measures has led to their full adoption.  Robinson said “Player welfare is at the heart of everything that rugby does.  I welcome the adoption of a lower tackle height into community law.  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 round 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 changes 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.”