The Tackle Behaviours Trial Findings

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

The IRFU Tackle Behaviours Law Trial Background

New World Rugby and laboratory studies have shown that head injury risk is at its highest when tackles are made to the head and shoulder and lowest when tackles are made to the belly area.

The purpose of this trial will be to incentivise greater use of the belly tackle and ultimately reduce incidents of head-on-head impact in the tackle.

For the purposes of the trial World Rugby Union Law 9.13 will read as follows:

IRFU Tackle Height Law Trial – 2023/24 and 2024/25:

“Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent above the line of the sternum* even if the tackle starts below the line of the sternum.”

*Previously: Shoulder (a horizontal line drawn from top of one armpit to the other)

Rucks and Mauls will not be affected by this law trial as they are covered under Law 9.20 (Dangerous Play In A Ruck Or Maul).

Nearly half of all tackles involve more than one tackler and so for the purpose of clarity, the legal tackle height of below the sternum would apply to all tacklers.

A law trial would not change the ability for an attacking team to carry out a “pick-and-go” play, but law application guidelines may apply where any player has initiated shoulder-to-head/neck or head-to-head/neck contact.

Rugby Union Law 9.11 currently states that: “Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others including leading with the elbow or forearm, or jumping into, or over, a tackler.” As always, a strict approach will be applied to reckless or dangerous play by a ball carrier.

This will include a ball carrier leading with their head or initiating contact with their head.