Lowering of the tackle height

Back on Thread

How the RFU who paid £££ for on evaluation of GMS decided to continue with a legacy technology which is supported by a mum and pop outfit is totally beyond me ( having spent 35 years in the SW/IT industry) . You can put lipstick on the Pig but its still a Pig !

Back to tackling, early commentary in Wales / Ireland game "dipping into tackle"

backrowb wrote: Playing a different version of the game at level 1 & 2 is barmy.  I think rugby is in massive trouble, and this has confirmed my fears

100% correct utter madness.....but this type of madness is expected from the RFU!

Dad wrote: If they are going to have different heights in elite and community then the pros ought to trial it first They do more training, have more control of their bodies and are tracked/monitored more Any unwelcome side effects of the change (like head to knee/hip concussions) would be spotted sooner and decisions on continuation made quicker.  starting with the community game will hasten the retirement of some (and thus make some 2nd,3rd or 4th xv's fold) and as there is no real baseline to measure against will be hard to measure the impact of.  I know some clubs are really hot on concussion recording but others lower down the pyramid aren't so how will anyone know if the changes help or hinder

This would be problematic as the pro-game feeds the

I’m sorry, but the IRB do not do themselves any favors at all. I’m watching the Ireland - France game and the No arms, shoulder to head challenge is exactly what they are trying to get out of the game and yet Wayne Barnes only gives a yellow quoting ‘enough force going through the chest’. I’m sorry, but what a load of garbage!! I like Barnes, but the Frenchman lines him up, made no attempt to wrap his right arm, made no attempt to get lower and his shoulder made contact with the head. That is a red card all day long. The Irish player then fails the HIA. How can they get this so wrong when there is so much scrutiny on head injuries?

The headline on the SRU piece says "Scottish Rugby begins community consultation on tackle height". The WRU said they were setting up a task group to examine the issue and would engage with all stakeholders to build consensus. The RFU said the law was changing on July 1 and anyone who argued was disregarding player welfare.

Edited by SmilingD - 15 Feb 2023 at 09:33

Mountain Man wrote: Crazy -so why are we surprised. Is there another sport in which senior teams below level 2 play to different rules? No doubt, as with the re-organisation of the leagues, the RFU will have consulted their members and then ignored them. Or a back door to ring-fencing?

I received this from the RFU.
Please feel free to complete the survey and please share it to players and ex-players you know



The RFU has launched a series of initiatives to listen to and learn from people across the game by consulting on the process around implementation of a lower tackle height in the community game. The consultation will allow the game to discuss the motivations behind the change and the needs to be factored in to make the implementation a success.

The first of these initiatives is a survey (http://links.emails.rfumail.com/els/v2/-eeVtWP0a6h4/SGY0aHBOR3BobWpNZDZHUHFEU0U4Tjh4VUhhN1JwcWswcWhwZjJNZUFNY2hZR3huNlJ4amF5YnBWSEZGbkR1R3gwY0VZSG84cmY0YjRYQWtIQ04xbm5zbUE1ZzBVeWJJTXFmUStIa1lEb2c9S0/) open to all in England.

The survey will be open from today until 9am on Wednesday 22 March, where the data will then be analysed by an independent,
expert research agency.

Following this analysis, and a series of focus groups and forums with groups from around the game, the data will be taken back to the RFU Council to determine the way forward.

I think the professional game is currently being treated differently because it feeds players into the international game where WRU regulations apply. You can imagine the confusion of players having to adjust to differing tackle requirements from week to week. Once the WRU reduces tackle height (which I’m sure is just a matter of time) then the professional game will fall in line.