Lower tackle height is changing face of women’s rugby, study says

Lowering the legal tackle height in women’s rugby is proving effective in reducing head contacts between players, a novel study suggests. The paper is published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.

Changes to the tackle height law in women’s community rugby in Scotland are linked to reductions in head-to-head and head-to-shoulder contacts, the study found. The work compared more than 11,000 tackles during the 2022/23 season, before the reduced tackle height law was trialed, and the 2023/24 season, when it was introduced.

Experts found 21% fewer upright tackles and a 34% increase in tacklers entering the tackle bent at the waist, the recommended technique to reduce contact to the high-risk areas of the head and shoulders.

In collaboration with Scottish Rugby and World Rugby, researchers at the University of Edinburgh used video analysis to study the impact of the lowered tackle height law, which World Rugby, the sport’s governing body, introduced for community rugby in an attempt to improve safety for players.

The research found a 64% reduction in tacklers making initial contact with the ball carrier’s head and neck—one of the primary causes of sports-related concussion. Lowering the tackle height was also associated with a 17% reduction in the rate of head-to-head and a 35% reduction in head-to-shoulder contacts for the tackler, the study found.

The study, which is the first to evaluate the lowered tackle height law in women’s community rugby, shows a positive change in player behavior, researchers say. The findings can inform future injury prevention initiatives in women’s community rugby in Scotland and beyond, they add.

World Rugby recommended an opt-in international trial of lowering the tackle height from the shoulder to below the sternum as part of a drive to reduce the risk of head-on-head contact and concussion in rugby union games. The trial was adopted by Scottish Rugby for the 2023/2024 season alongside other nations including Australia, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Wales.

Researchers at Moray House School of Education and Sport analyzed video footage and injury data from 34 Scottish community women’s rugby matches from the top-level Premiership to the third-tier regional leagues. The analysis used footage from Scottish Rugby which recorded players’ activity including tackle type, body position, contact point and head contact.

Points of contact between players alongside match events and tackle characteristics were coded according to guidelines developed in collaboration with World Rugby and the University of Cape Town.

The researchers also discovered a 19% reduction in contacts above the sternum—known as the red zone—between the tackler and the ball-carrier. There was a 29% reduction in head-to-head proximity for the tackler, alongside a 33% reduction in head-to-head proximity and a 48% reduction in head-to-shoulder contact for the ball-carrier.

Positively, there were no increases in the rate of the tackler’s head making contact with the ball carrier’s knee or hip, which has previously been associated with an increased risk of concussion.

Sanctions—including penalties, advantages and yellow cards related to high tackles—increased significantly from 3 to 8 in the 2023/2024 season. The number of tackles decreased significantly, but there was no significant change to the rate of other game player metrics.

The rate of concussions and injuries when comparing the 2022/23 (pre-trial) and 2023/24 (trial) seasons did not change significantly, but the number of reported injuries overall was very low and may have impacted these findings.

Lead author Hannah Walton, of the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House School of Education and Sport, said, “Our findings show reducing the maximum legal tackle height in Scottish women’s community rugby has resulted in a positive change in player behavior, alongside reductions in tackler and ball-carrier head contact and head proximity to the opposition’s head and shoulder. Continued collection of robust tackle and injury data is key to further understanding the effect of the law change.”

Researchers say the study provides valuable data on the impact of the tackle height change in women’s rugby and further studies could help understand the effect of the change on injury and concussion prevention.

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 of the UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport IOC Research Centre, said, “This is the first study evaluating the impact of a lowered tackle height in community women’s rugby and it is good to see, similar to the men’s community study, that initial results are encouraging.

“While injury and concussion numbers were low, gathering robust community-wide injury surveillance data may help us make more meaningful conclusions. Overall, reductions in head proximity and contact between players are likely to have been beneficial in potentially reducing these concussive events.”

The study builds on the findings of a recent study to assess the impact of the tackle height law change on Scottish men’s community rugby. Evaluations are underway to assess the change in youth community rugby in Scotland.

Scottish Rugby Head of Regional Pathways and Game Development, Neil Graham, said, “We look forward to continuing this partnership with the University of Edinburgh as we continue to look at ways to evolve the game, keeping player welfare at the center of the conversation.

“We also look forward to the third and final study on the youth game being released in the near future.”

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.

An international team of experts contributed to the study, including researchers from the universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch in South Africa, Calgary in Canada and Leeds Beckett.