Lower the legal tackle height in women's rugby is providing effectin in reducing head contacts between players, a world-first study suggests.
Changes to the tackle height law in women's community rugby in Scotland is linked to reductions in head-to-head and head-to shoulder contacts, the study found.
A study compared more than 11,000 tackles between the 2022/23 season, before the reduced tackle height law was trialed and the 2023/24 season when it was introduced.
Experts found 21 per cent fewer upright tackles and a 34 per cent 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 per cent reduction in tacklers making initial contact with the ball carriers head and neck – one of the primary causes of sports related concussion.
Lowering the tackle height was also associated with a 17 per cent reduction in the rate of head-to-head and a 35 per cent 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 behaviour, 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 analysed video footage and injury data from 34 Scottish community women's rugby matches from the top-level Premiership to the third-tier regional leagues.
