World Rugby has approved a lower legal tackle height for community rugby from 1 July 2026, with unions able to set the sanction line at either waist height or the base of the sternum.
The governing body confirmed the change after its Council meeting in Dublin, moving a two-year trial into full law for seasons that start after that date. The update is aimed at reducing upright tackles, the contact area World Rugby has identified as carrying the clearest avoidable head-impact risk.
According to World Rugby’s official announcement, trials across 10 national member unions studied more than 150,000 tackles before the Council approved the move.
What The Tackle Law Change Means
Community match organisers will no longer use the shoulder line as the default upper limit. Instead, the law gives unions a choice between a waist-height sanction line and the base of the sternum, while still allowing Game On variations around areas such as pick-and-go carries and double tackles.
The decision also sits alongside other law changes due from 1 July, including the scrum brake foot, tighter water-carrier restrictions, formal recognition of the Television Match Official role and the option for elite competitions to use 20-minute red cards.
World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson said player welfare was central to the decision, describing community players as the lifeblood of the sport. The next major signal will come at the Junior World Championship in Georgia, where lower elite-level tackle-height trials begin on 27 June.
