World Rugby has moved to ban the hip-drop tackle and reinforce sanctions against knee-drop techniques after an expert review that included input from Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones.
The hip-drop tackle—where a defender uses their bodyweight to pull an opponent down and drops onto their legs from behind—will be explicitly added to Law 9.13 and carry at least a penalty sanction from November 1. The knee-drop tackle, where a player drops to one or both knees when attempting a hit, is already covered by existing laws prohibiting tackles from the ground, with a new Law Application Guideline reinforcing that interpretation from October 5.
Jones served on the specialist tackle height working group established after February's Shape of the Game conference, alongside United Rugby Championship match official boss Tappe Henning and leading coaches, players and medical experts from around the world. The group was commissioned to investigate the techniques after unions raised concerns about their impact on player welfare.
Serious injuries prompt action
The dangers were illustrated at this year's U20 World Championship, where Australian fullback Treyvon Pritchard suffered a fractured fibula and syndesmosis injury following a hip-drop-like tackle against Wales. It was the second similar injury suffered by an Australian player during the tournament, after Chayse Geros was injured against Spain.
World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said the evidence made clear action necessary. "Once we looked at the evidence, it was clear the hip drop tackles whilst rare, could cause significant leg injuries," Robinson said. "It was also clear that knee drop tackles were on the rise."
The World Rugby Executive Board approved the law amendment after reviewing the working group's research and analysis. Robinson thanked unions for raising the issue and praised the speed of the response. "Protecting player welfare is at the heart of everything that World Rugby does and once we'd reviewed the analysis we've acted quickly to ensure that dangerous tackles of this nature are removed from the game, starting this weekend," he said.
The changes will require match officials to identify and sanction both techniques consistently across all levels of the game. The involvement of Jones and other leading coaches in the working group suggests the new measures have been shaped with practical implementation in mind, though referees will face the challenge of distinguishing hip-drop tackles from legitimate low tackles in real time.