Melville: New laws on tackles working

TRIAL LAWS banning tackling above the armpit line in the Championship Cup are having the desired effect, according to RFU professional rugby director Nigel Melville.

Statistics from the first four rounds of the competition reveal that 38 per cent fewer tackles have been made above the armpit line on upright carriers compared to league games.

There has been a 67 per cent decrease on the number of tackles made to the head and neck area of upright carriers, while 23 per cent of tackles on upright carriers have been made by tacklers who were fully bent at the waist compared to 16 per cent in regular Championship matches.

There had been 11 yellow cards for high tackles and one citing in 24 pool matches before this weekend, with Melville telling “We’re trying to change behaviour and while some clubs waited to see what referees allowed, others were more enthusiastic.

“What we’ve found initially is that players’ technique is not very good when they tackle low and it’s almost been like reinventing what you were taught as a kid. But there’s a bit more emphasis on that from the coaches now and we’re seeing an improvement.”

Melville added: “I wouldn’t say we’re seeing a huge difference in HIAs but we’re now working out which HIAs are related to tackles and which aren’t. It’s a relatively small sample so far but we’re going back through all the Championship matches to compare.”