Rugby used to be a game for all shapes and sizes.
If you were short and stocky, and not renowned for pace, then the front row was the place for you. If you were lanky, then the second row was the place for you as a lock forward. If you were lanky and possibly were slightly more agile than your second row team mates you would be the number eight. Your wing forwards or flankers tended to be taller than the front rowers but shorter than the second rowers, usually they were players of a more average build, but they possessed high levels of fitness, good handling skills and an aggressive streak never went amiss.
The backs were a different breed. All far slighter in build, height was not a prerequisite, but pace was. The only exception tended to be the scrum half who invariably was a player who could handle the rough and tumble of the forwards, but also had the silky passing skills of the backs. A turn of pace was always an advantage, the ability to kick, as well as the ability to tackle, and you were in the mix.
All of this changed when the game turned professional following the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Like so many sports the players as well as the styles of play became homogenised.
Now the front row forwards were all still barrel-chested, but now they were powerfully built, and most were nudging six foot in height. They were now expected to be able to run around the pitch for 80 minutes, which was unheard of, as well as have some speed if required.
The second-row, flankers and number eight all became giants of men. These were huge specimens that were tall, strong and most importantly interchangeable. All required better-than-average handling skills and again the ability to run with the ball in hand. Some even had the ability to take conversions!
The backs who in the past had been expected to spend their spare time quaffing a nice wine and reading a broadsheet newspaper were now expected to head to the gym and build themselves up. Now they too needed to be, strong, powerful and explosive.
All Black winger Jonah Lomu was a player that embodied the shift. He was 196cm tall (6ft 4in) and weighed around 120kgs (18 stone 19lb) and could run the 100metres in under 11 seconds.
To put this in perspective Usain Bolt the three-time winner of the Olympic 100m gold medal is 195cm tall and weighed 94kgs. Admittedly he ran the 100m in 9.58secs but men the size of Lomu are simply not supposed to move that fast!
So how do you stop them?
It was hard enough at the highest level stopping these monsters once they gathered momentum, but now it looks like it is going to become even harder.
The announcement in the past couple of weeks that the Rugby Football Union has made a decision to ban tackles above the waist for amateurs next season, has been met with rebellion from the rugby rank and file. To cause more angst World Rugby has confirmed that the change is afoot at all levels of the game.
In New Zealand, the spiritual home of the game, there has understandably been a more measured approach. A trial setting the legal height of the sternum is due to begin in New Zealand next year.
While many are cursing the law makers, there appeared to be a very valid reason behind the move, even though it is likely to change the game completely.
The day that the changes were announced in England it was revealed that more than 55 amateur players had joined the class-action lawsuit against rugby’s governing bodies, World Rugby, the RFU and Welsh Rugby Union, alleging that they were not protected from permanent brain injuries whilst playing the game.
This action is separate to the case involving a group of 225 former professional union players, which was launched a while ago.
There were calls in the House of Commons for the board of the RFU to resign, as well as the CEO. Once again, as we frequently see in modern day sport the issue has been communication. Fans, players and coaches alike have been frustrated by the lack of published evidence for making such a decision and bemoaned the manner in which it was communicated.
Many top level players have come out and stated that it is when they have gone low around the legs that they have ended up suffering concussion.
Having spoken to former professional players and coaches all have stated that the rule change will create a massive gulf between the professional game and the amateurs, where the future professionals of tomorrow start to play.
Both parties have said that if this is going to work then rugby development coaches, and coaches in schools are going to have to spend a great deal more time teaching players how to tackle. Not just how to tackle, but how to tackle safely with their head out of harm’s way.
One question that has been raised is how is a player to tackle an opponent who has broken through your defensive line? They are breaking into space and speeding towards your try line. Those giving chase have previously tried an ankle tap, which sees the attackers feet knock into each other and they stumble to the ground. Or, they tended to grab the upper torso and slide down to their legs bringing them to ground.
Under the new legislation, apart from an attempted ankle tap how can you stop them? As diving at their legs as their feet fly up is putting yourself in a very dangerous position, and one that is likely to cause a head injury.
There is a school of thought that believes that training young players to tackle in this way will reap rewards as they come through the ranks and progress into the professional game. The premise has merit.
One thing that this move is likely to see is another changing of the personnel playing the game. Suddenly having players of a shorter stature in your team is going to be a huge advantage as the players over 196cm or 6ft 4in are always going to struggle to get low enough themselves to tackle a player who is much closer to the ground.
We have already witnessed this at international level with the likes of South Africa’s Cheslin Kolbe who is 171cm or 5ft 6in. They also have scrum half Faf de Klerk who is only 170cm tall. In some cases they are over 30cms or a foot shorter than their opponents. So where do they grab to stop them, the shoulders or the neck, which is why this law is looking to be changed.
In a study carried out by the University of Bath in 2019 entitled “Does reducing the height of the tackle through law change in elite men’s rugby union” and published by the British Journal of Medicine the researchers revealed that “Concussion has a match incidence rate of 17.9 per 1000 hours in elite men’s rugby union, representing 20% of all match injuries.”
Their overall findings concluded “Legislating to lower the height of the tackle meant that tacklers made contact with the ball carrier’s head and neck 30% less often. This did not influence concussion incidence rates. Tacklers in the lowered tackle height setting suffered more concussions than did tacklers in the standard tackle height setting.”
So if lowering the height of a tackle “did not influence concussion incidence rates” and “tacklers in the lowered height setting suffered more concussions,” why is the sport heading down this path?
Rather than impacting concussion rates will such a law change mean the end of some players who will now be deemed too tall to carry out defensive duties effectively? Will the change result in rugby returning to the days of old where there were players of all shapes and sizes?
It is certainly going to be a very interesting time for the sport if these proposed changes are enforced. Time will need to be invested into teaching tackling techniques and helping players adapt. This may not be a bad thing. However, one feels that what looks good on paper is in fact going to be impractical. Were all of the possible scenarios discussed, analysed, and thought through before coming up with this change and announcing it?
Currently it looks as if this one change could change the fabric of the game and those who play it more than possibly any law change before.
One feels that there is going to be a great deal more to be said before this is put to bed.
