‘You cannot simply tackle lower’ – Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus on new tackle laws

SA Rugby director of rugby and Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has urged coaches to change players’ behaviour in tackles.

Erasmus has spoken about the topic after South African Rugby Union members approved new laws to make rugby safer at school and club levels at a general council meeting last year.

The new laws mean that tackles in open play must be made at the base of the sternum (breastbone) or below. While they do not apply to the senior professional level, Erasmus said that the Bok coaching staff lowered the tackle-height in training for their players in the build-up to and during the Rugby World Cup.

This led to a lower penalty count for the Springboks, particularly for dangerous or illegal tackles.

No excuse

Erasmus says there is no excuse for club and school coaches who believe new tackle height laws for participation rugby are difficult to instil

“Tackling lower is coachable, so this cannot be used as an excuse – you need to coach and practise correct technique,” said Erasmus, who helped the Springboks win two Rugby World Cups, in an SA Rugby statement.

“We therefore built it into our conditioning and technical preparation for the tournament. You cannot simply tackle lower without focusing on the correct technique.

“Tackle bags are only training tools and should not dominate your tackle training. You do need to work more on moving bodies, but within a controlled space, where players learn to adjust their height in a more dynamic game-like situation.”

While he believes that technique is crucial, he added that players also need to be conditional correctly and that similar changes will be made across the board.

“Fitness becomes a critical requirement to continue tackling lower over the course of a match, so appropriate fitness and conditioning is critical,” he said.

“Upright ball-and-all tackles are not practical under these laws, so you need to adapt the way you coach the tackle. Wrap tackles bring players more upright into contact, which shares headspace in a high-risk situation, and increases the risk of head-contact and concussions.

“Whether we like it or not, at some stage the laws are going to change worldwide around tackle-height, so we need to be part of the solution and not having to play catch-up after the laws have already been made.”

Will not detract from the physicality and confrontational nature of rugby

He added: “As custodians of the game, we have a responsibility to follow the scientific evidence to ensure that players are well-protected within a physical, collision-based, contact-sport such as rugby union.

“That means that although one appreciates the gladiatorial nature of the game, this should not increase the risk disproportionately to the players. The current law changes are trying to maintain the physical essence of the game while simultaneously lowering the risk of concussions, catastrophic head, neck, and spinal injuries and long-term brain-health complications.

“Yes, the new laws will change some parts of the game, such as more offloads, running rugby and open play, but will not detract from the physicality and confrontational nature of what defines rugby union.

“By limiting the ball carrier’s body height and position into contact there is a shift away from the tackler being the sole responsible person for the safety of the tackle contest. This is not stopping the ball carrier from taking the ball into contact; the tackler must however always have a visible target to hit that is safe. This keeps both tackler and ball carrier safe in the contest.”

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