Who would’ve guessed that lowering legal tackle height would be the secret weapon in making Scotland’s women’s community rugby safer?
A world-first study from the University of Edinburgh suggests exactly that, reporting dramatic drops in dangerous head contacts after the law tweak was introduced in the 2023/24 season. With tackles now capped at below the sternum, the game has seen a tactical and behavioural shift that could redefine player safety worldwide.
How the Study Was Conducted
Researchers from the Moray House School of Education and Sport teamed up with Scottish Rugby and World Rugby to analyse more than 11,000 tackles across two seasons (2022/23 vs. 2023/24).
Using detailed video coding of tackle type, body position and precise contact points, they tracked every instance of head or shoulder impact in top-level Premiership and regional league matches.
A Drop in Dangerous Contacts
The results speak for themselves—and for concussions:
- 64% fewer head/neck initial contacts: Tacklers were far less likely to connect with the ball-carrier’s most sensitive area.
- 21% fewer upright tackles: More players bent at the waist—the coach-approved technique to keep heads out of the danger zone.
- 34% more bent-at-waist tackles: A clear sign that lowering legal tackle height changed behaviour on the field.
- 17% reduction in head-to-head and 35% drop in head-to-shoulder contacts for tacklers.
- 19% fewer “red-zone” contacts (above the sternum), plus 29% less head-to-head proximity for tacklers and a 48% cut in head-to-shoulder proximity for ball-carriers.
What the Numbers Mean
Notably, there was no uptick in head-to-knee or head-to-hip contacts, allaying fears that players might simply aim lower and risk new injury patterns.
Sanctions rose—penalties and yellow cards for high tackles jumped from 3 to 8—showing referees took the change seriously, though overall tackle frequency remained stable.
Research lead Hannah Walton said: “Our findings show reducing the maximum legal tackle height in Scottish women’s community rugby has resulted in a positive change in player behaviour, alongside reductions in tackler and ball-carrier head contact and head proximity to the oppositions head and shoulder. Continued collection of robust tackle and injury data is key to further understanding the effect of the law change ”
Dr Debbie Palmer, co-Director for the UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport IOC Research Centre, added: “This is the first study evaluating the impact of a lowered tackle height in community women’s rugby and it is good to see, similar to the men’s community study, that initial results are encouraging.
“While injury and concussion numbers were low gathering robust community wide injury surveillance data may help us make more meaningful conclusions.
Overall, reductions in head proximity and contact between players is likely to have been beneficial in potentially reducing these concussive events.”
Implications and What’s Next
This landmark evaluation of lowering legal tackle height offers a blueprint for injury-prevention strategies not just in Scotland but internationally.
The rule was trialled by Australia, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Wales alongside Scotland, and further studies on men’s and youth community rugby are already in progress.
Scottish Rugby’s Head of Regional Pathways and Game Development, Neil Graham, confirmed: “We look forward to continuing this partnership with University of Edinburgh as we continue to look at ways to evolve the game, keeping player welfare at the centre of the conversation.
“We also look forward to the third and final study on the youth game being released in the near future.”
As women’s rugby embraces this safety-first mindset, the evidence is clear: lowering legal tackle height isn’t just a rule change—it’s a game changer.
