Proposed Law Changes

[Mellsblue]

Can World Rugby please, please ban Freed from Desire being played in any stadium anywhere

Mind and senses would be purified.

[Danno]

[Which Tyler]

Another couple of analyses just coming in this month
England: average number of head contacts dropped from six to three
Women: 64% reduction in tacklers making initial contact with the ball carrier's head and neck and 17% reduction in the rate of head-to-head and a 35% reduction in head-to-shoulder contacts for the tackler

This is early data; there may well be more to come (the RFU's trial explicitly says as much in the article)

I'll edit with the actual research, rather than media reporting once I've found them:
Women: https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/2/e002499

I can't find the RFU's analysis on Pubmed or BMJ - so presumably it's not actually published yet, and they're just wanting to get the good news out there early.
Not seeing anything on Pubmed from other countries yet either - but I'm sure it's coming.

Interestingly, I did also come across this: High tackle headache: implications of referee agreement for tackle height law change

[Puja]

Wanted a discussion about Rassie Erasmus's latest attempts at law-fuckery.

ETA - moved the post here: http://www.rugbyrebels.co.uk/viewtopic. ... 83#p348083

[Which Tyler]

Maximum tackle height lowered for under-20 Worlds

Tackles above the sternum will be outlawed at the World Under-20s Championship in Georgia next summer as the possibility of a lowering of the maximum tackle height across the elite game moves a step closer.

Over the past two seasons, the height limit on legal tackles has already been dropped from shoulder to sternum in the community game in 11 countries around the world.

Analysis of almost 150,000 tackles since the change has demonstrated varying decreases in the number of concussions and also that tacklers are dropping their body height in response to the law shift.

...

The new lower tackle height does not apply when an attacking player "picks and goes" around a breakdown or the base of a scrum, or when they are in the act of scoring.

Ball carriers will be penalised if they lead with their head, making a legal tackle difficult to effect, in other areas of the game
ARTICLE CONTINUES

[Puja]

Seems eminently logical and hopefully will be rolled out across the game.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

Logical, but tackling at a certain height only in particular situations sounds like a nightmare for clarity/consistency in officiating.

Leading with the head is an interesting one. Again I’d like to get rid of it, in theory, but applying it sounds very tricky.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Maximum tackle height lowered for under-20 Worlds

Tackles above the sternum will be outlawed at the World Under-20s Championship in Georgia next summer as the possibility of a lowering of the maximum tackle height across the elite game moves a step closer.

Over the past two seasons, the height limit on legal tackles has already been dropped from shoulder to sternum in the community game in 11 countries around the world.

Analysis of almost 150,000 tackles since the change has demonstrated varying decreases in the number of concussions and also that tacklers are dropping their body height in response to the law shift.

...

The new lower tackle height does not apply when an attacking player "picks and goes" around a breakdown or the base of a scrum, or when they are in the act of scoring.

Ball carriers will be penalised if they lead with their head, making a legal tackle difficult to effect, in other areas of the game
ARTICLE CONTINUES

This is the big one, especially in the elite levels of the game.

[Puja]

Logical, but tackling at a certain height only in particular situations sounds like a nightmare for clarity/consistency in officiating.

Leading with the head is an interesting one. Again I’d like to get rid of it, in theory, but applying it sounds very tricky.

It sounds worse than it is and that article is very badly worded. Basically, tackle height has to be sternum or below, with the only exception being if the attacker is bent double at the waist/leading with the head, cause you've got no option to tackle if they do that. The only times it'll be legal for a player to be bent double at the waist are picking and going from a ruck or scrum, or going for the line.

Personally, I'd remove leading with the head in any situation but diving for the line - I think it invites trouble to be teaching and encouraging players to go head-first (I remember when I was younger and we were taught to run into tackle pads shoulder first, whereas now it's head-first to keep the chain of the body straight) and I'm not sure that grinding around the corner in pick-and-goes from rucks would be especially missed. I also don't see why it has to be legalised going from a scrum - with the 9 now required to stay back at the tunnel, surely there's ample time for an 8 to straighten up and run properly from the base?

Puja