Rugby tackle height change boosting player safety, study shows

Lowering the tackle height in men’s rugby has successfully reduced the rate of head collisions among players, a study suggests. 

Recent changes to the tackle height law for community rugby players in Scotland was linked with a 45 per cent reduction in head-on-head contact – one of the primary causes of sports related concussion, experts say.

A trial during the 2023/24 season found players were 22 per cent more likely to tackle bent at the waist, the recommended technique to reduce player head proximity and contact.

Researchers who led the publication say the behaviour change resulted in fewer head-to-head and head-to-shoulder contacts between tacklers and ball-carriers.

The study of men’s community rugby in Scotland is the first peer reviewed study to evaluate the lowered tackle height law introduced by World Rugby in the 2023/24 season.

The governing body recommended an opt-in international trial of lowering the tackle height from the shoulder to below the sternum or breastbone – also known as a belly tackle.

With increasing recent focus of concussions in rugby union the trial was introduced to improve player safety by reducing the risk of head-on-head contact and concussions. The lower tackle height is considered the safest for both the tackler and the ball carrier.

The trial was adopted by Scottish Rugby and made compulsory across all amateur playing levels.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh used video analysis to study 18,702 tackles from 60 men’s community matches to compare the 2022/23 (pre-trial) and 2023/24 (trial) seasons. 

The analysis used footage from Scottish Rugby which recorded players’ activity including tackle type, body position, contact point and head contact. This data was then coded according to guidelines developed by World Rugby.

Lowering the tackle height was associated with a 29 per cent reduction in head-to-shoulder contact for the tackler and ball-carrier.

During the trial season tacklers were significantly more likely to enter contact in a bent at waist position.

This change was associated with a 19 per cent reduction in the rate of head and upper torso contacts to the ball-carrier and an increase in frequency of tackles to the ball carrier’s lower torso and upper legs.

Sanctions related to high tackles tripled in the 2023/2024 season. There was no significant change to the rate of all other illegal play.

They also found no significant increase in tacklers’ heads coming into contact with the ball-carriers’ hips or knees, which is associated with an increased risk of head injury assessments and concussion diagnosis.

The study is part of an international project led by World Rugby to assess the effects of lowering the tackle height in 11 countries including Australia, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales.

Evaluations are underway assessing the impact of the tackle height law change on Scottish women’s community rugby and youth community rugby.

Lead author, Hamish Gornall, of the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House School of Education and Sport, said: “Our findings show lowering the maximum legal height of the tackle in men’s community rugby proved effective in altering tackling behaviour in line with the aim of the recommendations. Collecting prospective injury data, as well as continued monitoring of player behaviour across subsequent seasons would be beneficial to further investigate the implications of the change.”

Dr Debbie Palmer, of the Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences at the Moray House School of Education and Sport, and co-Director for the UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport IOC Research Centre, said: “As a collision sport head injuries in rugby are a reality, and in an effort to protect players this is one of the biggest law changes the community game has seen in recent years. These initial results are very encouraging. The team are also evaluating the impact of the law change in Scottish women’s and youth community rugby. More to follow soon.”

Scottish Rugby’s Director of Rugby Development, Gav Scott said: “Scottish Rugby is continuing to look to evolve the game to increase player welfare while making it a more exciting and inclusive game to play. 

“Research with key partners such as the University of Edinburgh helps us identify which initiatives are working and guides our future plans in an evidence-based way. We look forward to continuing this partnership.”

Scottish Rugby Chief Medical Officer, Dr David Pugh, said: “At Scottish Rugby we strive to reduce the incidence of concussion in as many ways as we can. We are also working with the university on an injury surveillance project, and we hope that this will see a significant drop in concussion rates due to the lower tackle height trial.

“Hamish's research clearly demonstrates that player behaviours have changed, reducing head-to-head and head to shoulder contacts which should lead to reduced numbers of concussions in our players.”

The study is published in BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine.  

The work was funded by World Rugby and Scottish Rugby which included funding for Hamish Gornall’s PhD.