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World Rugby has announced that it will crack down on the so-called “hip-drop” tackle from November as it looks to protect player welfare.
The technique that sees a tackler from behind drop their body weight on the lower limbs of a ball carrier was outlawed by the National Football League (NFL) two years ago, and rugby union’s lawmakers have now followed suit.
From 1 November, tackles of that type will now be punishable by at least a penalty after research showed that they can cause serious leg injuries. In rugby league, hip drop tackles have been illegal since 2020, with Newcastle Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland recently sent off following an incident that left Nathan Cleary of the Penrith Panthers needing emergency surgery.
World Rugby will also place emphasis on penalising a “knee-drop” tackle, in which a defender drops to one or both knees before making contact with an attacker.
While both are rare, Leicester Tigers flanker Tommy Reffell was shown a yellow card for being off his feet while making a tackle on Northampton Saints back rower Sam Graham in 2024.
The changes come after each tackle type was highlighted by unions at World Rugby’s annual Shape of the Game conference in February, and come ahead of a busy November of Nations Championship action.
“We’re grateful to unions for raising the issue of these types of tackle with us,” World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said. “My thanks go to the working group and wider World Rugby team for the speed and breadth of their research and analysis. These changes show the commitment across the globe to player welfare in rugby in action.
“Once we looked at the evidence, it was clear the hip drop tackles whilst rare, could cause significant leg injuries. It was also clear that knee drop tackles were on the rise.
“Protecting player welfare is at the heart of everything that World Rugby does and once we’d reviewed the analysis we’ve acted quickly to ensure that dangerous tackles of this nature are removed from the game, starting this weekend.”
Sanctions for the hip-drop tackle will not be in place for the Bledisloe Cup clashes between New Zealand and Australia, nor the upcoming slate of WXV Global Series fixtures.
