Rugby: England’s union to lower tackle height to waist for community games

LONDON – Tackling above the waist will be banned in community rugby matches from next season to “reduce head impact exposure and concussion risk”, England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Thursday.

It added that ball carriers would be encouraged to “follow the principle of evasion” and avoid “late dipping”.

This comes after more than 55 amateur rugby union players sent a letter of claim to World Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and RFU on the same day to begin the pre-action phase of their lawsuit over possible brain injuries.

They allege that the governing bodies have negligently failed to protect them from concussion and non-concussion injuries that caused various neurological disorders, including early onset dementia, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

The RFU said in its statement: “Evidence from studies has consistently demonstrated that higher contact on the ball carrier and closer proximity of the ball carrier and tacklers’ heads are associated with larger head impacts (as measured by smart mouthguards) and an increased risk of concussion.

“Lowering the height of the tackle and encouraging the tackler to bend more at the waist will minimise the risk of this occurring while maintaining the tackle as an integral part of the game.”

The governing body said the changes will come in place from July 1 for games at clubs, schools, colleges and universities, as well as National One (third tier) and below in the men’s game and women’s Championship One (second tier) and lower.

At the elite level, a tackle is considered dangerous when it is above the shoulder line, even if the tackle starts below.

The group of amateur players who are taking legal action against the authorities includes several retired female internationals, elite male players who played before 1995, elite youth players and the family of a deceased rugby player.

An autopsy found that he had CTE, a progressive degenerative brain disease discovered in other athletes such as Aaron Hernandez (National Football League) and Jeff Astle (English footballer).

Richard Boardman of law firm Rylands Garth, which represents more than 275 ex-professional rugby union, rugby league and footballers with brain injuries, in 2022 brought a similar claim against those rugby bodies and the Rugby Football League.

“It’s a ticking time bomb,” he said in a statement, adding that it is not just about financial compensation but also making the game safer. REUTERS