Rugby Championship Cup: ‘New’ Tackle Height Law To Be Introduced
The lawful height of a tackle will be brought down in the next season of Rugby Championship Cup. It will be the first time that such a law will be introduced in this sport.
The Rugby Football Union will bring down the level of a high tackle from over the line of the shoulders to over the line of the armpit. This move will go through a test run in the upcoming Rugby Championship Cup, 2018 -19 with the aim of lowering the injuries in this sport.
Experimental law lowering legal height of tackle worth a shot … just hope it doesn’t rebound under the law of unintended consequences as many rugby law changes do.
— Stephen Jones (@stephenjones9) July 25, 2018
The main reason behind this move is RFU’s latest research, that pointed out that blackout due to concussions had risen for the seventh consecutive year and was the cause of 22% of all injuries.
The expectation from this new rule is that it will decrease the recurrence of head wounds/concussions endured by both ball bearers and tacklers.
According the RFU’s professional rugby director, Nigel Melville:
“The RFU is committed to an evidence-based approach to injury-prevention,”
“We believe lowering the height of the tackle will benefit both the ball carrier and the tackler. The Championship Cup provides an opportunity for us to assess the impact of lowering the height of the tackle on the elite adult game and will be a critical part of helping us develop game-wide approaches to concussion and injury reduction.”
RFU to trial new law that will lower the legal height of a rugby tackle to the armpit line The legal height of a tackle will be lowered in a Rugby Football Union-led trial next season.
https://t.co/ugpFaRhFdy— NetworkOfNewsIreland (@NOfNews_Ireland) July 25, 2018
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