World Rugby outlaws controversial tackle which almost ended Springbok’s career after South Africa coach’s request
World Rugby chair Brett Robinson and hip drop tackle on Elrigh Louw which could have ended Springbok's career.
World Rugby have moved to ban the ‘hip drop’ and ‘knee drop’ tackles from the sport after investigating their impact on players.
The former is where the tackler uses their bodyweight to pull their opponent to ground and drop onto their legs, while the latter sees the tackle drop to one or both knees when attempting to make a hit.
The decision to outlaw the ‘hip drop’ and later the ‘knee drop’ came following February’s Shape of the Game conference as World Rugby commissioned an “expert tackle height working group” to investigate the techniques.
It duly recommended that the law should be clarified and the tackles be sanctioned by the officials.
‘Commitment to player welfare’
“We’re grateful to unions for raising the issue of these types of tackle with us. My thanks go to the working group and wider World Rugby team for the speed and breadth of their research and analysis,” World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said.
“These changes show the commitment across the globe to player welfare in rugby in action.
“Once we looked at the evidence, it was clear the hip drop tackles whilst rare, could cause significant leg injuries. It was also clear that knee drop tackles were on the rise.
“Protecting player welfare is at the heart of everything that World Rugby does and once we’d reviewed the analysis we’ve acted quickly to ensure that dangerous tackles of this nature are removed from the game, starting this weekend.”
Due to the danger a ‘hip drop’ tackle presents to an opponent, a sanction of at least a penalty has been recommended when the law comes into effect on November 1.
Although a ‘knee drop’ is not deemed unsafe for players, technically you are not allowed to tackle while on the ground and this amendment has been added in order to clarify the law, with a penalty sanction open to the officials.
“While a change of this nature can be challenging to manage in the short term as players, coaches and match officials adjust, this decision has been taken to protect players from potential serious injury, and that’s the right thing to do,” Ex-Ireland star and International Rugby Players Association representative Rob Kearney said.
Great to see that World Rugby are outlawing “Hip drop” and “knee drop” tackles.
Elrigh Louw was sidelined for 10 months because of this tackle which resulted in damaged ligaments in his left knee and also broke his leg. https://t.co/khXFxncNjh
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) October 7, 2026
The danger of the ‘hip drop’ tackle
Springboks coach Felix Jones played a role in getting the ‘hip drop’ outlawed, a tackle which almost ended the career of South Africa loose forward Elrigh Louw in early 2025.
Louw returned to action last November after 10 months out and the flanker is still searching for his best after suffering a fractured leg and knee ligament damage.
Wallabies star Max Jorgensen has also been a victim of the ‘hip drop’ and almost missed the British and Irish Lions tour as a result.
Jorgensen was absent for almost four months after a tackle against the Highlanders in Super Rugby Pacific left him with ankle ligament damage and needed surgery.
READ MORE: NZ Rugby chief’s verdict on South Africa’s possible Super Rugby return: ‘They are pretty bullish’
