Rugby league chiefs could shelve controversial tackle size changes

Leeds Rhinos action against Hull Kingston Rovers in July 2024. Data shows a 75% reduction in head contact in Super League this year.Photograph: Lee Parker/CameraSport/Getty Images

The Rugby Football League is set to suspend controversial changes to tackle height in the professional game planned for 2025, which would have reduced the legal height below the armpit, after data showed a 75 per cent reduction in head contact in Super League this year.

Rugby league has already approved the changes at amateur and academy level, with plans to replicate the move at professional level next year following recommendations from the sport’s brain health committee, which aims to reduce the number of concussions suffered by players. However, that change could now be halted, the Guardian has learned.

Related: Super League reduces head collisions after change to tackle height law

Clubs were presented with data at a meeting on Wednesday which showed there had been 75 per cent fewer incidents involving head contact in Super League matches this year compared to the RFL’s historical data. The sport introduced stricter sanctions for head contact earlier this year, leading to a number of controversial suspensions and red cards.

But the governing body believes the sanctions have now facilitated a change in player behaviour that could lead to the lowering of the tackle height being stopped. If the figure remains constant for the rest of the season, the RFL will recommend to the Brain Health Committee in September that the rules remain as they are, with the legal tackle height being below the neck.

“It’s 75% lower than our historical data, which is great, but we can’t rest on our laurels,” the RFL’s Robert Hicks told the Guardian. He says the introduction of instrumented mouthguards that track players’ concussion risk has been key. “We’ve been able to show that the safest place to tackle is from the armpit to the waistline: that’s the reality of what the data shows.”

“We believe we have the opportunity to retain coach-led interventions rather than change the rules. The coming months will determine whether we can do this. We would like to pause the implementation of the change to limit tackle size in the professional game while we assess the data we are getting from academy rugby on the effect of this change on concussion.”

However, Hicks insisted the sport is not straying from its long-term plan to protect players. “The brain health committee has a goal of reducing concussions by 25 per cent over five years. They will assess where we are against our goals and hopefully say yes, we have made a difference.”

If the committee agrees, the suspension of the change is likely to be confirmed at a meeting of the RFL board in October.