IRFU Issue Invite To Open Engagements On Potential Law Trial
Galwegians' Grace Browne Moran is tackled during their recent Energia All-Ireland Women's Cup Series clash with Cooke ©INPHO/Ben Brady
Since January 2023, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has been undergoing a consultation process of education and engagement with our stakeholders, to:
- explore potential law trial initiatives designed to review tackle behaviours
- reduce head-on-head contact
- ultimately lower occurrences of head injuries (including concussion) in the amateur game
An invite to a series of open engagements is now being issued as part this process.
Registration is open for next week’s series and players, coaches, club officials and teachers are invited to attend as follows.
Monday, April 17, 13:00-13:40
Adult Rugby (Junior & Senior Clubs): IRFU Open Engagement For Lowering The Tackle Height
Registration Link: https://bit.ly/Club-Open-Engagement
Monday, April 17, 18:00-18:40
Match Officials: IRFU Open Engagement For Lowering The Tackle Height
Registration Link: https://bit.ly/Ref-Open-Engagement
Tuesday, April 18, 18:00-18:40
Age Grade (Clubs & Schools): IRFU Open Engagement For Lowering The Tackle Height
Registration Link: https://bit.ly/Age-Grade-Open-Engagement
As advised in the save the date issued to school principals and club honorary secretaries last week, all events will take place online and videos of meetings will be published.
Each session will include a scenario for an Irish Rugby law-trial to lower tackle height based on feedback gathered from the consultation process to date. Additional feedback will be welcomed as part of these open engagements.
A finalised position will not be reached until the Evaluation & Recommendation phase of the process, as indicated in March.
If someone cannot attend the session most appropriate to them, they are welcome to attend another session. The topics covered will be broadly the same across all sessions, but elements of feedback and discussion may be more unique to each stakeholder group.
To help stakeholders prepare for the open engagement series, the IRFU Rugby Development Department have prepared a document outline a proposed law-trial scenario document.