RFU Council approves lowering of the tackle height across community rugby in England from 2023/24

[buff]

It is still hockey, regardless of age or level. But we never get into disputes over the difference between what adults play and what we see on the television.

 

[Dickie E]

At the level I'm at I hardly ever see a head clash, in fact I can't think of one.

ditto. I see many more concussions with knee to head contact (ie poor tackling technique).

If all tackling is below waist, how can a maul ever form?

 

[tim White]

ditto. I see many more concussions with knee to head contact (ie poor tackling technique).

If all tackling is below waist, how can a maul ever form?

If all players in a Ruck are supposed to stay on their feet, how can we have a ruck with everyone OFF their feet?

 

[Dickie E]

If all players in a Ruck must endeavour to remain on their feet throughout the ruck, how can we have a ruck with everyone OFF their feet?

FTFY

 

[Phil E]

I think we are all guilty (me and the RFU included) of jumping the gun a bit here.

Issuing this statement without the guidance and changes in the law is just leading to a mass of speculation and misinformation.
It will be interesting to see examples and videos issued for guidance to players and officials.

As this is an RFU statement they have no jurisdiction above National 1 to enforce this. Hence the cutoff.

How does it work in France, do they also only have this at Community level? Are the RFU following that model?

Will World Rugby issue any kind of statement between now and the start of the next season?

So many questions and practically no answers.

 

[crossref]

FTFY

but almost all modern rucking is enirely about pushing/levering opponents off their feet.

 

[didds]

ditto. I see many more concussions with knee to head contact (ie poor tackling technique).

If all tackling is below waist, how can a maul ever form?

because "binding" isnt a tackle? [1]

Search the Laws of the Game | World Rugby

Search the Laws of the Game of rugby union.

www.world.rugby

"Binding: Grasping another player’s body firmly between the shoulders and the hips with the whole arm in contact from hand to shoulder."
[1] I'm guessing here obviously! But otherwise indeed the maul has just been outlawed in community rugby in RFUland! And I'm positive that is NOT their intention. Though possibly of course now needs clarification because without that, you can bet your bottom dollar that some ref somewhere WILL penalise an attempt to hold up an opponent to create a maul/attempt a turnover.

 

[Stu10]

As this is an RFU statement they have no jurisdiction above National 1 to enforce this. Hence the cutoff.

Can you please explain? (I don't doubt, I have a knowledge gap.) Who has jurisdiction for Championship and Prem?

 

[crossref]

premiership is owned by premier rugby isn't it
championship - I thought that was a RFU competition ?

 

[Balones]

Can you please explain? (I don't doubt, I have a knowledge gap.) Who has jurisdiction for Championship and Prem?

PGMOT. The professional match official team. But the Championship is really only semi-professiinal now so not sure of its status in the whole scheme of things. But the officials move between the two quite readily so I don’t suppose they want officials adhereing to different laws from one week to the next.

 

[Balones]

It is going to be interesting how match officials are going to move up to the PGMOT group after refereeing a different set of laws and are expected to do a ‘trial’ match under a different set. Knowing the players and coaches at Championship level I can’t believe that they are going to be particularly understanding if a ‘new’ referee firgets thd occasional interpretation of law.

 

[Ciaran Trainor]

A complete clusterf*ck statement. Virtually impossible to referee.
Time for the community game to break away. The Northern union did it in 1895 when the blazers just didn’t get it.
Not too long ago Lancashire clubs formed there own leagues when they didn’t like the blazers’ leagues.
Probably the biggest RL recruitment statement ever in my area.
I wonder who will deliver the new coaching packages as the Rfu got rid of most of the development officers!

 

[crossref]

It is going to be interesting how match officials are going to move up to the PGMOT group after refereeing a different set of laws and are expected to do a ‘trial’ match under a different set. Knowing the players and coaches at Championship level I can’t believe that they are going to be particularly understanding if a ‘new’ referee firgets thd occasional interpretation of law.

we manage to move between youth and adult, with different laws...
not so long ago we expected small children to be able to play different laws at school and their club (thankfully that's gone now).
we all ref 7s differently from 15s (different laws but also different approach)
I reckon senior refs will adapt

 

[didds]

"I wonder who will deliver the new coaching packages as the Rfu got rid of most of the development officers!"

This.
I'm having discussions with other community level coaches about how this may be incorporated into training when typically at lower level community seniors there is just the one coach.

I suspect some guidance will eventually appear from the PTB - probably on September 4th...

 

[didds]

we manage to move between youth and adult, with different laws...
not so long ago we expected small children to be able to play different laws at school and their club (thankfully that's gone now).
we all ref 7s differently from 15s (different laws but also different approach)
I reckon senior refs will adapt

thats a fair enough call there CR. Good points well made.

 

[crossref]

I actually think this might have even more impact than the tackle laws ?

RFU Announces Changes To Player Registrations - Fill Your Boots

The RFU have announced that the player registration process will change and all rugby players in England will need to be registered

www.fybrugby.com

 

[didds]

I actually think this might have even more impact than the tackle laws ?

RFU Announces Changes To Player Registrations - Fill Your Boots

The RFU have announced that the player registration process will change and all rugby players in England will need to be registered

www.fybrugby.com

probably worth a new thread CR ?

 

[Balones]

we manage to move between youth and adult, with different laws...
not so long ago we expected small children to be able to play different laws at school and their club (thankfully that's gone now).
we all ref 7s differently from 15s (different laws but also different approach)
I reckon senior refs will adapt

I was really referring to the process of moving through from an amateur game to a professional one rather than adapting to different rules/regulations/laws. What you describe is what the amateur refs do all the time. 7s and 15s do have different laws but they are consistent between levels for the adult game. (At the moment.) A referee doing a trial game at a Championship match is not going to have an opportunity to ‘practise’ his knowledge prior to his ‘test’.
But I appreciate the point you are making.

 

[OB..]

Where most of us referee anyone who's 125kg can't manage more than a waddle whereas there's lots of 125kg blokes who can get a bit of gallop on in the upper echelons.

Bear in mind the pitch is same size as it was in 1871 (picks arbitrary date) whereas the 30 blokes running round on it are bigger, heavier, faster and stronger.

Fewer players?

Bigger pitches?

I haven't come across a head on head issue in the community game as AR or referee - I'm not sure whether I'm missing them?? - I have never come across a tackle that has made me wince and had one of the participants wobbling about or flat on their back. That said I have seen a few from my lad's games - quite a few in women's rugby

Most of the head contact I've dealt with is PK/YC stuff. The YCs tend not to be mitigating reds down but rather slidey up or indirect contact with the head. The only RC direct head contact I've done was one of the (was it Chris White?) if you find yourself pointing at the changing room it's a red.

There's enough "bloody 'ell t'game's gone soft" comments for each and every PK now - God knows what this current missive will bring. Some of the players in the weeds would never get up if the bent down to tackle somebody.

In 1871 the laws did not specify any pitch dimensions. The first international took place that year and since England and Scotland had different law books, they had to agree several points. The actual dimensions that year were 120 yards by 55 yards, whereas in the rematch in England the following year they were 120 by 70. In 1892 110 by 75 was written into the laws.

 

[colesy]

This.
You guys that whist;le the community game - do you see "upright tackles" and subsequent head contacts as a genuine uissue, at the level we see (or perceive to see) in the pro game?
Obviously one head contact is one too many - but Im wondering if while this move is "a good thing" at community levels, it may be an "even better thing" at the higher levels?

Going back to my notes, I’ve seen three red cards this season - two of the three were head on head contact in an upright tackle.

Edit: Can a mod change the St George’s Cross on my profile to a Saltire please?