Research summary · Injury prevention
Lower tackle height and injury patterns in community rugby
An Irish surveillance study compares match injuries before and after the permitted tackle height was lowered from the armpit to the base of the sternum.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Prospective observational before-and-after study
- Journal
- Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
- Population / context
- Adult men's, adult women's and schoolboy rugby union
What the publication reports
Across 239 teams and 8,805 player-seasons, overall match-injury rates fell in all three cohorts. Tackle-related concussion rates were lower in adult men and women. Schoolboys did not show the same concussion benefit: their increase was statistically inconclusive.
Limits and interpretation
The law change was not randomized, so concurrent changes and differences between seasons may contribute. Adult findings should not be generalized to schoolboys, professional rugby or other rule implementations. Two authors worked for the governing union.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Tackle behaviour trial lowers concussion and overall injury rates: A seven-season prospective study in adult men's, women's and schoolboy rugby union
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42265026DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2026.05.011Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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