Lowering of tackle height in rugby has reduced concussion rates by 63%, UL study shows

Rule change lowered legal tackle height from the line of the armpit to the base of the sternum, with this change implemented across all levels of community rugby in Ireland.File picture: Inpho/Dan Sheridan

The lowering of tackle height in rugby has reduced players' concussion rates by up to 63%, according to a study carried out by the Irish Rugby Football Union and the University of Limerick.

The rule change lowering the legal tackle height for adult players in the All Ireland League (AIL) was brought in three years ago.

It was lowered from the line of the armpit to the base of the sternum, with this change implemented across all levels of community rugby in Ireland.

The study found among adult men, concussion rates decreased by 38%, alongside an 18% reduction in overall match injuries.

In the women’s game, concussion rates fell by 63% and overall injuries decreased by 30%.

The study analysed injury data from 239 teams and 8,805 player seasons, representing more than 86,000 hours of match exposure.

The IRFU embarked on a trial of a lower legal tackle height during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, aligned to World Rugby guidance, aiming to reduce head contact and concussion risk.

The study represents a sustained programme of collaborative research between the University of Limerick and the IRFU focused on generating high-quality evidence to improve player safety in the community game.

The publication was led by Dr Lauren Guilfoyle and Dr Kilian Bibby and emerges from data collected by the Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) project, under the principal investigators Professor Ian Kenny and Professor Tom Comyns.

Dr Bibby said: “Overall, this study offers strong evidence that lowering the tackle height to the base of the sternum can reduce concussion and injury rates in adult community rugby.

“It represents an important step forward in understanding how law modifications can contribute to safer sport.

“More broadly, it highlights how collaborative, applied research can move beyond identifying problems to shaping evidence informed solutions that have real-world impact.” 

Although the rule changes have resulted in a reduction in concussion and injury rates in adult rugby across Ireland, in the schoolboy game there has been no significant change in concussion rates, albeit overall injury rates decreased by 19%.

Dr Bibby added: “Looking ahead, the findings highlight the need for further research to better understand the mechanisms driving these outcomes.

“In particular, the absence of a reduction in concussion rates in schoolboy rugby warrants closer investigation, as identifying the factors underlying this divergence will be critical for designing effective, age appropriate interventions.” 

In recent days, the World Rugby Council has approved adoption into full law of a lower tackle height in community rugby, following positive trials over the last two years.

The decision comes after extensive evaluation of trials run across 10 national member unions, involving more than 150,000 studied tackles, demonstrated positive player behaviour.

The trials showed a lower legal tackle height was effective in reducing the chances of upright tackles occurring, which are the most likely to cause avoidable head impacts.