Lower tackle height trial in Championship Cup

[morepork]

If you are not careful, things could really go tits up.

[richy678]

Lizards post is on the money, I must be of the same vintage.
The moment your knee hit the turf, if you didnt just let go of the ball, you were pinged. The cov and warks refs would not let you place the ball or anything, any attempt to twist and place was pinged as "not releasing".

The aim of the tackled player was to "try and stay on you feet and turn for your support" - which idealy was a fast openside.
But then the idea generally was to maul rather than ruck.


Anyway - tackling under the armpit - lets try it

[Lizard]

Is the nipple line a thing?

It would lead to some interesting conversations in the woman’s game and it certainly wouldn’t lead to a level playing field.

Lizard did note he's been playing a long time but I've not heard the term before, maybe talking about nipples not breasts is what keeps NZ ahead

Mate, when you’re playing in the over 35s social grade, “nipple line” is not much of a level playing field for some of the blokes in the front row, either.

[Digby]

It would lead to some interesting conversations in the woman’s game and it certainly wouldn’t lead to a level playing field.

Lizard did note he's been playing a long time but I've not heard the term before, maybe talking about nipples not breasts is what keeps NZ ahead

Mate, when you’re playing in the over 35s social grade, “nipple line” is not much of a level playing field for some of the blokes in the front row, either.

I googled nipple line and to my slight surprise it's actually a thing, though not remotely what I suspect you’re alluding to.

[kk67]

Irish commentators will have less to whine about every 5 minutes during a match.

You think? Wouldn’t this do quite a lot to remove the ‘choke tackle’?

Not that I think that would be a bad thing. I can’t stand watching Ireland literally strangle the life out of a game doing it.

I love the way Ireland strangle a game. I don't think it's entirely the choke tackle,..I think guys like POC worked a way to kill the 10-man English game.
....I think they mostly want to play the game. Not spoil it.

[kk67]

Seems pretty straightforward to me.

[kk67]

If you are not careful, things could really go tits up.

Easy now. They do swing a bit.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Irish commentators will have less to whine about every 5 minutes during a match.

You think? Wouldn’t this do quite a lot to remove the ‘choke tackle’?

Not that I think that would be a bad thing. I can’t stand watching Ireland literally strangle the life out of a game doing it.

It would do absolutely nothing to stop the choke tackle, since the choke usually involves holding someone up from underneath the armpits to make sure that they can't get to ground.

[Mikey Brown]

Irish commentators will have less to whine about every 5 minutes during a match.

You think? Wouldn’t this do quite a lot to remove the ‘choke tackle’?

Not that I think that would be a bad thing. I can’t stand watching Ireland literally strangle the life out of a game doing it.

It would do absolutely nothing to stop the choke tackle, since the choke usually involves holding someone up from underneath the armpits to make sure that they can't get to ground.

I’d say “usually” is generous to say the least, but either way it would have some effect.

[Saison]

I’ve been playing the game for about 32 years and I don’t think I’ve ever tackled a man above the nipple line. Admittedly I rarely have a weight or height advantage so I’ve not much choice.

I think the problem is much better dealt with by changing the incentives of the tackler and tacklee. When was taught the game, you had to immediately release the ball upon being tackled. There was no crabbing a yard or two, no “placing the ball” and no popping it up off the deck. If you didn’t let go the split second you hit the ground you were either penalised or trampled on by 8 mud stained bullies (and ruck marks on yer back never gave anyone concussion). This had two important effects: first, the ball-carrier’s main aim going into a tackle was not to gain ground - your principle objective was to get to ground quickly in a way that protected the ball without you needing to handle it. So you went into a tackle sideways or even backwards, already heading for the deck, not front on at full speed. Secondly, the tackler’s objective was to get the ball carrier to ground, not knock him 2 yards backwards. Hitting a guy around the shoulders was no use. The point was to make him have to release the ball (ie get his knee on the ground) before the forward suppprt arrived. Knocking him backward into his support was counterproductive.

In the 1980s, no one was talking about “winning the collisions.”

The laws and interpretations were changed to make it easier for the team in possession to retain it and therefore run rather than kick, and to reduce the number of scrums. There’s now probably more penalties at the breakdown than scrums!

I think that requiring tackled players to immediately release the ball before the tackler has released and without rolling or crabbing forward, or “placing” the ball 5 seconds after you hit the deck would solve the problem without bringing in artificial and hard to police limits on exactly which part of the torso you can plant a shoulder into.

/oldguyrant

Chwarae Teg - one of the best and most sensible posts I've seen on RR (low bar I know ). I've been trying to make this pointfor a long time but havent been able to put it in such logical and simple terms. Thanks Liz - will use this with the kids rugby coaches and refs meeting this year.