{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T04:18:35Z","timestamp":1786681115320,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,8]],"date-time":"2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744070400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":7,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Scottish Rugby Union"},{"name":"World Rugby"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,20]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Background\/objectives<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The tackle has the highest risk and causes the most concussions in rugby union. As such, law variation prevention strategies aiming to reduce head contact have been introduced. This study investigated whether a law variation lowering the maximum legal height of the tackle, from the shoulder to the base of the sternum, was an effective approach to change players\u2019 tackling behaviour and reduce head contact events in Scottish men\u2019s community rugby.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>This retrospective video analysis study compared game metrics and tackle characteristics from the pre (2022\/2023) to lowered tackle height (LTH) season (2023\/2024). Sixty games were analysed (30 each season), variables coded for the tackle event included tackle type, body position, contact point and head contact.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The rate of bent at waist tackling increased during the LTH season (rate ratio (RR)=1.22 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.27)), which resulted in tacklers making initial contact with the ball carriers\u2019 lower torso or arms more often (RR=1.08 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.14)). While overall tackler head contact to the ball carrier (any region) increased (RR=1.12 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.18)), head-to-head contacts with the ball carrier decreased (RR=0.55 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.92)) and head to upper leg contacts increased (RR=1.39 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.56)).<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Lowering the maximum legal height of the tackle in men\u2019s community rugby led to increased rates of bent at waist tackling, resulting in more tackles making initial contact with the ball carrier\u2019s lower torso and legs. This change in behaviour likely reduced the rate of contact between tackler and ball carrier heads.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjsem-2025-002492","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,8]],"date-time":"2025-04-08T06:26:43Z","timestamp":1744093603000},"page":"e002492","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Lowered tackle height law variation in Scottish men\u2019s community rugby: a video analysis evaluation of 18 702 tackles across two seasons"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9409-4426","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hamish","family":"Gornall","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Network, Institute for Sport, PE and Health Sciences, The University of Edinburgh Moray House School of Education and Sport, Edinburgh, UK"},{"name":"UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, Edinburgh, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-5569-9370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hannah","family":"Walton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Network, Institute for Sport, PE and Health Sciences, The University of Edinburgh Moray House School of Education and Sport, Edinburgh, UK"},{"name":"UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, Edinburgh, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0175-2354","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isla","family":"Shill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Network, Institute for Sport, PE and Health Sciences, The University of Edinburgh Moray House School of Education and Sport, Edinburgh, UK"},{"name":"UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, Edinburgh, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Neil","family":"Graham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Scottish Rugby Union, Edinburgh, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lara","family":"Paul","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3416-6266","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sharief","family":"Hendricks","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa"},{"name":"Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Leeds Beckett University Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4294-4822","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ross","family":"Tucker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Rugby, Dublin, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4676-217X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Debbie","family":"Palmer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Network, Institute for Sport, PE and Health Sciences, The University of Edinburgh Moray House School of Education and Sport, Edinburgh, UK"},{"name":"UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, Edinburgh, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025083109383600000_11.2.e002492.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2023-106898"},{"key":"2025083109383600000_11.2.e002492.2","unstructured":"Comyns T , Yeomans C , Dolan P , et al . Irish rugby injury surveillance project. 2024. Available: https:\/\/d19fc3vd0ojo3m.cloudfront.net\/irfu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/18135328\/IRIS-Clubs-Season-Report-24-Low.pdf [Accessed 21 Oct 2024]."},{"key":"2025083109383600000_11.2.e002492.3","unstructured":"Roberts S , Mckay C , Stokes K , et al . Community rugby injury surveillance and prevention project. 2022. Available: https:\/\/keepyourbootson.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/CRISP-report-2021-22.pdf"},{"key":"2025083109383600000_11.2.e002492.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"480","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546516668296","article-title":"Concussions and Head Injuries in English Community Rugby Union Match Play","volume":"45","author":"Roberts","year":"2017","journal-title":"Am J Sports Med"},{"key":"2025083109383600000_11.2.e002492.5","unstructured":"Kemp S , Faull-Brown R , Hood K . Community rugby injury surveillance and prevention project. 2020. 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