World Rugby Officials Could Be Set To Change Tackle Laws

World Rugby are discussing the results of a wide-ranging investigation into head injuries with experimental change in the laws surrounding the tackle expected.

A detailed study of more than 600 incidents revealed that 72 percent of head injuries were sustained in a tackle situation. That may not sound too surprising but what was interesting to discover from the study, was that 76 percent of the injuries were to the player making the tackle, not the ball carrier.

“We looked at about 15 variables in the tackle, what causes the injuries, and one interesting one we found was that if people are bent at the waist, the ball carrier, you get fewer head injuries,” Martin Rafferty, World Rugby’s chief medical officer, told reporters on Tuesday.

“So we asked the experts ‘how can we get players to bend at the waist in the game?’ and they’ve come up with some recommendations.”

We have to be sure that if we do make changes that improve the situation with head injuries, we are not causing another problem.”

A World Rugby spokesman said the recommendations were being discussed this week. Usually and changes to rugby’s laws are first trialled in a minor competition.

“Change sometimes only comes when players stand up and demand it,” said international players’ union member Josh Blackie

“The awareness and concern of players has increased in the last five years or so and the management of concussion changes have been welcomed.”

What do you think? Is it time World Rugby made some alterations to the tackle laws, or should they just leave it as it?