IRFU Announces Strong Player Welfare Gains from Two-Season Tackle Behaviours Trial

The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) today announced that its two-season Tackle Behaviours Trial – which lowered the legal tackle height in the community game to below the line of the sternum – has delivered a landmark reduction in concussion and injury rates across men’s and women’s rugby.

This represents the first evidence-based law change to have shown to significantly reduce concussion risk in rugby.

The Tackle Behaviours Trial

The IRFU introduced the Tackle Behaviours Trial at the start of the 2023/24 season to reduce head contact risk in the community game. The legal tackle height was lowered to below the sternum, aligning with World Rugby’s global trial framework.

The trial was delivered in collaboration with the provinces, clubs, and schools, and supported by academic research across three focus areas:

1. Injury Surveillance – Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) Project, University of Limerick (Prof. Ian Kenny and Prof. Tom Comyns)
2. Video Analysis – World Rugby Global Tackle Height Trial, Trinity College Dublin (Dr. Anthony Ventresque)
3. Stakeholder Engagement & Feedback – IRIS Project, University of Limerick

Breakthrough Results in Player Welfare

The Tackle Behaviours Trial, implemented across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, was designed to reduce the risk of head impacts and promote safer, more effective tackling by lowering the legal tackle height from the armpits to below the line of the sternum.

Key Insights

Comparing five pre-trial seasons to the two-season trial period, the IRFU recorded the following key results:

Concussion Rates

• Men’s All-Ireland League (AIL): ↓ 33%
• Women’s AIL: ↓ 18%

While significant decreases in concussion rates were observed in the Men’s and Women’s AIL, similar changes were not seen in the Schools’ SCT game. Following these findings, the IRFU and Provinces are committed to continuing to work with their schools to enhance education, tackle technique and player behaviours in our schools’ game.

Overall Injury Rates

• Men’s AIL: ↓ 18%
• Women’s AIL: ↓ 30%
• Schools’ Senior Cup (SCT): ↓ 19%

Tackle-Related Injuries

• Men’s AIL: ↓ 21%
• Women’s AIL: ↓ 34%
• Schools’ SCT: ↓ 10%

Video Analysis

• Head impacts reduced by 7%
• Ball-in-play time increased by approximately 4 minutes
• Offloads, rucks, and kicks in play all rose, showing improved game flow and continuity

A Step Forward for Safer, Smarter Rugby

IRFU Medical Director, Prof. Rod McLoughlin said,

“The Tackle Behaviours Trial has proven to be a successful strategy for improving both player welfare and performance. The support and buy-in from players, coaches, referees, and administrators across the grassroots game have been outstanding. These positive outcomes support our decision to maintain the tackle height at the base of the sternum going forward. Our ongoing collaboration with the University of Limerick and Trinity College Dublin will help deepen our understanding of how this law change influences behaviour, safety, and the flow of the game.”

Evidence-Driven Progress

“Thanks to the Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance Project, we’re one of the few Unions worldwide with the ability to compare long-term data before and after a law change”
added Dr. Caithriona Yeomans, IRFU Medical Manager for the Development Game, “Although the formal trial period has ended, our monitoring and analysis will continue, ensuring future player welfare and performance strategies are guided by evidence.”

Next Steps

The IRFU will maintain the below-sternum tackle height law for the 2025/26 season and beyond, reinforcing its long-term commitment to player safety, education, and evidence-based decision making across all levels of the domestic game.