World Rugby Extends Lower Tackle Height Trial to World Rugby U20 Championship 2026

World Rugby has confirmed it will extend the lower tackle height trial of below the sternum in community rugby at the World Rugby U20 Championship 2026, which will take place in Georgia, and will feature Japan as the only Asian representation.

Feature Photo Credit – That Particular Shot

World Rugby has held trials over the last two seasons involving 11 unions globally in the community game, which they say have “shown that a lower legal tackle height has changed player behaviour and some unions have reported a reduction in concussion rates, albeit over a single season to date.”

The finding suggested a 10 per cent reduction in the number of upright tackles, and as a result, the World Rugby Executive Board had recommended to Council that those opt-in trials become full law at the community level from July 2026 and now will trial them at the elite level for the first time.

World Rugby Chief Player Welfare and Rugby Services Officer Mark Harrington said “World Rugby has always said that when it comes to player welfare we’ll protect the character of our game and we will always follow the science. The trials so far in the community game have shown some really positive results, and we need to look at how we can use that new information to benefit the game as a whole.

What Will the Lower Tackle Height Trial at World Rugby U20 Championships 2026 Mean?

World Rugby said trials at the U20s will include a number of associated law measures designed to protect the “character of the sport” and that an intensive programme of education and training will be undertaken.

World Rugby Chairman Dr Brett Robinson said: “Player welfare is at the heart of everything World Rugby does. We’ll leave no stone left unturned in our efforts to make the game as safe as it can be. Having said that, protecting what makes rugby, rugby is a vital part of my role. We’ll undertake this trial, study it closely to ensure we have a game and a U20 Championship that excites players and fans alike.”

The trials include:

• Allowing for “pick and go” actions near rucks and for players in the act of scoring, where the sternum becomes much harder to tackle below due to the lower ball carrier.
• Sanctioning ball carriers who lead dangerously with their head into contact.
• Permitting double tackles, provided the first tackler makes contact below the sternum.

World Rugby added that the outcome of this trial will be assessed against safety and spectacle metrics before any further elite trials are considered.

The law trial has been recommended following consultation with specialist working groups with representatives from: International Rugby Players Association, International Rugby Match Officials, Six Nations, United Rugby Championship, Major League Rugby, Ligue National de Rugby, Rugby Football Union, South Africa Rugby Union, SANZAAR Rugby, Fédération Française de Rugby and independent experts.

Note the lack of developing regions in the list above.

Making The Sport Safer

World Rugby said these, in addition to other changes, are aimed at making rugby safer. An analysis of 20,000 tackles across the elite game showed these measures have “achieved a similar level of positive behaviour change to lowering the legal tackle height in community rugby, where the number of upright tackles fell by between 8 per cent and 10 per cent.”

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