Community Rugby League coaches in charge of teams from under 12s and upwards are being offered a new educational resource to help them coach safer tackling techniques in line with the game’s new Tackle Height framework.
The RFL, in conjunction with foundation coaches at Leeds Rhinos and St Helens, has produced a 30-minute video packed with technical advice and easy-to-teach practical examples. It’s available now on YouTube and will also be available via Our Learning Zone.
Changes to the tackle height were among 44 recommendations from the sport's Brain Health and Clinical Advisory Group sub-committees approved by the RFL Board and announced in December, in the latest and most wide-ranging phase of the drive to make Rugby League safer and more accessible at all levels. The legal limit for any contact has been lowered from shoulder height (i.e. below the neck) to arm pit height (i.e. below the shoulder) and any contact above the arm pit will therefore be penalised.
RFL Community Coach Development Manager, Chris Spurr, says: “I’d like to thank all the foundations and coaches who delivered tackle heigh education workshops ahead of the new season, and the hundreds of community club coaches who went along to find out more about the rule changes and how to adapt to them.
“If you weren’t able to get to a session, or you would like a quick refresher on adapting and improving tackling techniques among the players you work with, this video is for you. Experienced professionals such as former England Women’s head coach Craig Richards demonstrate controlled ‘one-to-one’ contact, break down and explain the constituent parts of the tackle process, focus on improving technique in those different components, and overall show how to make players better and safer tacklers.”
The tackle height change, which applies at all levels of the community game, follows the outcomes of the Laws Trials in the Under-18 Academy competition in the summer of 2023 – trials which were found to have significantly reduced the amount of head contact and the number of head accelerations. It will apply at all levels of Rugby League from 2025.
