World Rugby gets tough on high tackles in bid to reduce injury

Any reckless or accidental contact with the head in matches will no longer be tolerated by World Rugby.

The governing body has redefined the law on illegal and high tackles, and increased sanctions to try to reduce the risk of injuries.

They will apply at all levels from 3 January, World Rugby announced yesterday.

A tackle or attempted tackle will be deemed reckless if the tackler knew or should have known there was a risk of making contact with the head, and did so anyway.

It applies even if the tackle started below the shoulders and includes neck rolls. The minimum sanction is a yellow card, and the maximum a red.

A tackle or attempted tackle will be deemed accidental if a tackler made accidental contact with the head, even if the tackle started below the shoulders. That includes where the ball-carrier slips into the tackle. The minimum sanction is a penalty.

World Rugby ordered referees in early November, before the bulk of the autumn Tests, to be stricter on contact above the shoulders.

But there were instances in Tests, notably the Ireland new Zealand match in Dublin, where the on-field sanctioning appeared lenient.

The zero-tolerance approach follows research from 2012-15 of more than 600 head injury assessments in 1,516 elite-level matches around the world.

The research showed 76 per cent of all head injuries occurred in tackles, an injury to the tackler was two-and a-half times more likely than to the ball-carrier, and tackle height was a contributing factor.

World Rugby said it will be teaching bent-at-the-waist tackling as the best position for injury prevention, and it will check the practicality of a closed trial of a lower tackle height at age-grade level next year.

Meanwhile, captain Kieran Read is likely to become the first All Black to earn more than NZ$1 million (£567,510) per season in pure salary after New Zealand Rugby agreed a major pay boost under a collective agreement with their Players’ Association.

In a move detailed yesterday, NZR agreed to boost its player payment pool by $70 million (£39m) from $120 million (£94m) to $190 million (£106m) over the next three years. The boost recognises increases in sponsorship and broadcast revenue.

Read, out of contract next year, is poised to announce a new deal through to the 2019 Rugby World Cup which could take him through the $1m barrier.