IRFU to keep tackle height below sternum after data shows fewer injuries
Irish Rugby Football Union
(IRFU) will keep the legal tackle height below the sternum in the 2025-26 season after preliminary data showed a reduction in overall injury rates during the last two seasons.
The IRFU joined a World Rugby trial of lowering tackle height below the base of the sternum in the community game in 2023, with the aim of reducing injuries, especially head impact exposure and concussion risk.
The rule was put to trial across Ireland in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, and analysis of the large volume of data collected is continuing.
'Preliminary findings show decreases in overall injury rates across the domestic game in Ireland. We also see decreases in tackle-related injuries and the rate of head impacts during the trial,' the IRFU said in a statement.
READ MORE
The English and Scottish rugby unions have introduced similar rules to lower the tackle height.
'We are one of the only Unions in a position to compare five seasons of injury data before the trial with the two trial seasons,' said Caithriona Yeomans, the IRFU's medical manager for the domestic game.
'We are looking at the injury data, alongside video analysis and stakeholder feedback to fully understand the impact of this trial, however preliminary findings are encouraging.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
38 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Schools rugby concussion fears as injuries not taken seriously by non-pro players
More than a third of Irish school rugby players are willing to continue playing while suffering a concussion, a new study has revealed. Under IRFU rules, players should immediately leave a game if they suffer a suspected concussion. However, researchers said it was evident that the attitude of some players toward brain injury is still influenced by the pressure of important games. The study revealed that 11% of school players claimed they personally felt a concussed player should return to play during a semi-final game, compared to 4% of club players. More than a third of Irish school rugby players are willing to continue playing while suffering a concussion, a new study has revealed. Pic: Getty Images Researchers at UCC's School of Medicine and Cork University Hospital surveyed over 520 IRFU-registered rugby players from 17 clubs. They found that 35% of school rugby players are willing to continue playing while suffering a headache brought on by a mild concussion. The researchers wrote that this attitude was 'somewhat concerning'. Richard Boardman, a UK solicitor representing more than 1,000 former rugby union and rugby league players in a class action brain injury lawsuit, told the Irish Daily Mail he is 'worried about the current and future players'. He said: 'We are sadly seeing the same neurological impairments at all levels of the game.' The study revealed that 11% of school players claimed they personally felt a concussed player should return to play during a semi-final game, compared to 4% of club players. (Stock Image) Pic: Getty Images The UCC study revealed that 20% of school players said most athletes would feel a concussed player should resume playing during a semi-final game, compared to 9% of club players. Researchers also found that overall, rugby players in Ireland were able to identify concussion signs and symptoms correctly 78% of the time, but there was 'a significant knowledge gap' about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – a progressive brain disease linked to repeated concussion. There are approximately 20,000 registered club players of rugby in the Republic, as well as 22,600 school players. Around a third of both club and school players surveyed incorrectly believed that wearing a scrum cap can prevent a player from getting CTE. The UCC study revealed that 20% of school players said most athletes would feel a concussed player should resume playing during a semi-final game, compared to 9% of club players. Pic: Shutterstock The survey also highlighted that 42% of both groups incorrectly believed that symptoms of CTE can be witnessed immediately following a concussion. Mr Boardman said: 'CTE isn't just a risk in older retired players. It's been found post mortem in young people who have died. 'Just a few years ago in Australia, Keith Titmuss, a 20-year-old rugby player, died at a training session.' Mr Titmuss collapsed during a two-hour training session with his Sydney rugby club in November 2020 after becoming agitated and suffering several seizures. An inquest heard that his body temperature was over 40C at the time of death and he already had Stage 2 of CTE, which has been linked to depression, mood swings and impulsive behaviour. Pic: Getty ImagesAn Oxford University study of 15,000 people found that people who had three or more concussions had significantly worse cognitive function. Pic: Getty Images Mr Boardman added: 'This is very real and concerning for all ages. The neurological impact has a wide array of symptoms from memory loss, aggression, migraines, sensitivity to light. You wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy. I believe that these injuries are an existential threat to contact sports. 'The attitudes [highlighted by] this study towards head injuries need to be quashed. It's not just concussions that are the worry, but dangerous repetitive sub-concussive blows to the head during tackles.' The study found that almost nine out of ten respondents said they had received previous education about concussion, but only 8% said they had received prior information about CTE, while 76% were largely unfamiliar with the disease. Researchers found that 46% of club players had experienced a medically diagnosed concussion at least once in their playing career, with 16% recording three or more diagnosed concussions. Among school players, 41% had experienced a medically diagnosed concussion, with 4% having three or more diagnosed concussions. An Oxford University study of 15,000 people found that people who had three or more concussions had significantly worse cognitive function, which got successively worse with each subsequent concussion after that. Club players scored significantly higher than school players in relation to knowledge about concussion and correctly identifying signs and symptoms of concussion. However, some common misconceptions exist among both player groups, including statements related to experiencing a coma. Just 15% of club players and 11% of school players correctly answered that an athlete who gets knocked out after getting a concussion is experiencing a coma. The authors of the report said the results, when compared to similar previous studies, suggested there had been a positive shift in the attitudes of rugby players in Ireland towards a safer approach overall. They claimed such a finding might reflect the IRFU's ongoing efforts to promote safer practices at both club and school levels, but called on the sporting body to add more information on CTE to existing educational resources. A spokesman for the IRFU said: 'We are aware of a recent report on attitudes to concussion in the school's game. The IRFU's own data, through the ongoing IRIS study, highlighted this already, and the Union has been working proactively with the stakeholders in the school's game across all the provinces to address this.'
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Larry O'Gorman fears Joe McDonagh future may await Wexford
Wexford great Larry O'Gorman reckons things could get worse for his county before they get better, acknowledging that relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup remains a possibility. The Model County only missed out on qualification for the All-Ireland series this year on scoring difference to Dublin and were just two points off a Leinster final spot. Former Hurler of the Year O'Gorman noted too that it was a 'blunder by the referee' in their narrow provincial group defeat to Dublin - a goal was awarded to the Dubs in error - that 'cost us the game'. But the 1996 All-Ireland winner said the bigger picture is that the county isn't producing enough high quality young players and is suffering from a relatively poor standard in the local club championship. Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Beko Club Champion, O'Gorman painted a gloomy picture for his county. "I said it last year that we could end up in the Joe McDonagh," said O'Gorman, who hasn't changed his opinion and is concerned by the progress being made by Offaly and McDonagh Cup winners Kildare. "Kildare are going to be a threat to Wexford as well. They're great hurlers. At the level we're at, I wouldn't be surprised if Kildare could even beat us." It'll be 30 years in 2026 since Wexford's last All-Ireland win though an anniversary MacCarthy Cup success seems unlikely, even if talisman Lee Chin has signed up again. Asked if things could get worse for Wexford, O'Gorman nodded. "I think we're heading that road," said the Faythe Harriers man. "We have the likes of Dee O'Keeffe, Liam Og McGovern, Matthew O'Hanlon who have retired. We have Lee Chin, probably one of our best hurlers for decades, we have Liam Ryan, Mark Fanning. These lads are getting on as well, they are 32, 33 years of age. "The younger generation are coming in but there's a big gap between them. They haven't really gelled together yet. They're not really hurling well as a unit." O'Gorman's suggestion is that Wexford go back to basics and put an increased emphasis on producing underage talent. "I was involved in 2014, 2015, 2016, maybe 2017 as well with Wexford underage," said O'Gorman. "I looked at a programme the other day, from 2015, out of 64 players, there was only two of them playing (senior in 2025) for Wexford. We've only Richie Lawlor and Conor Foley. There's another lad, in the extended panel, Tomas 'Tucker' Kinsella, that's all that have come through. "In Kilkenny, you have to serve your time as a senior hurler. In Wexford, we had three or four or five lads that came off the U-20 team with Keith Rossitter and they were put in straight away. But they were green going in, didn't of them didn't even play as senior hurlers for their club. It was their first year probably ever playing senior hurling for their club as well. So it's a big step up. "It takes a lot of effort, a lot of commitment and you can't expect the likes of Lee Chin and a few other lads to pull them along because they'll get tired pulling them along. You need good, top quality young lads coming through and, at the moment, we have good players. But to be at the level of Cork, Limerick and Tipperary, we'll have to be at a higher level, higher quality." O'Gorman said he'd love Wexford to appoint a figure like Anthony Daly to head up a major, long-term investment in underage hurling. "It could be a five-year plan, or a 10-year plan, and I think that's the only way it can work for Wexford," he said. Wexford did enjoy a golden period under Davy Fitzgerald, winning the 2019 Leinster title. O'Gorman said he's still haunted by their failure to beat Tipperary in that season's All-Ireland semi-final. As for the overall championship structure, he believes it should be tweaked to allow the fourth placed teams in Leinster and Munster - Wexford and Clare this year - to advance to the All-Ireland series, instead of the Joe McDonagh Cup finalists. "No disrespect to Laois or Kildare - they had their All-Ireland (final) the previous week and then they get an opportunity to come out to play in the All-Ireland qualifiers. It's no disrespect to them but I do think the likes of Clare, Waterford, whoever, Wexford, I think they should get another bite at the cherry." *For more information on the Beko Club Champion see
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Field almost set for King and Queen of the Roads
James O'Donovan, Gary Daly, and Aidan Murphy are just one step away from competing in next month's King of the Roads semi-final at Ballincurrig. After two rounds of the Mick Barry Cup, they have the highest points tallies. They will play a three-hand final for the Mick Barry Cup and a semi-final spot in King of the Roads. Reigning King, Colm Rafferty is already in the hat, as is his brother Ethan, as Ulster and All-Ireland champion. Munster champion Arthur McDonagh, German champion Manuel Runge, and Dutch champion Patrick Zieverink are also in the semi-finals. Denise Murphy took a step closer to Queen of the Roads when she defeated former Queen Catriona Kidney, in the Gretta Cormican Cup at Grenagh. She plays Hannah Cronin in the semi-final. Megan Collins and Veronica O'Mahony meet in the other semi-final. The winner will join an impressive line-up in next month's Queen of the Roads. Already in the semi-final are defending Queen, Silke Tulk, All-Ireland champion Kelly Mallon, German champion Anke Klopper, and Munster champion Hannah Sexton. The road in Ballincurrig is currently a 'black-top' asphalt surface. Were it to stay as is, it would definitely tilt the scales in favour of the continental players, who regularly bowl on a similar surface. On Saturday Gary Daly created a new record for the asphalt, beating the line in 14 shots in his win over Martin Coppinger. The jewel in that crown was a sensational 13th bowl from Din Tough's that went almost to the finish line. That perfectly demonstrated the capricious nature of the new substructure of the road. All the old tracks have been ironed out, leaving more gradual planes. Sometimes what looks a well-played bowl yields little, but others deliver exceptional rewards. Daly led from the off. He opened up a big lead with a great fifth bowl to the pony's gate. Coppinger closed the gap with a big eighth shot onto the long straight. He made an heroic bid to level the score with a massive tenth bowl that unluckily missed the big corner. There was an even bowl between them at Din Tough's. Daly then delivered his miracle bowl. James O'Donovan, Michael Bohane, and Séamus Sexton were in a virtual blanket-finish on 15 shots. O'Donovan might have been rivalling Daly, for best performance of the round, but he missed the line with his 14th. Bohane and Sexton went flat out with their last shots, with Bohane filling second place and giving O'Donovan a target to beat for the score. Bohane opened with an exceptional bowl that almost reached Moore's gate and set the early pace. He scorched to Heaphy's in five. O'Donovan had closed the gap to just eight metres there, with Sexton a shot behind. O'Donovan won his first lead in the next shots to O'Riordan's. Bohane lost ground with two poor shots from the top of the long straight to the elbow, this left O'Donovan a shot clear and Sexton fighting for second. Bohane levelled with O'Donovan through two brilliant bowls to the top of the short straight Sexton made an equally dramatic recovery with two great bowls to light at the last bend, that brought him level with Bohane. O'Donovan kept control by opening the bend too with a great 13th shot, but he missed the line with his 14th. Aidan Murphy set the tone from the off against Patrick Flood. He had well over a bowl of odds after six to Heaphy's. He missed light with his next one, but still had a clear bowl on the long straight. The road was playing mind games out to the big corner, with a mix of long and short bowls, where the lead was just under a bowl. Flood reached Din Tough's with two brilliant shots from there to cut the lead to 2m. Murphy held a slender lead with his next one past the serpent and then played a smashing bowl past the last bend, that was unlucky to miss the line. Flood closed with a big one, but Murphy beat it. Timmy McDonagh advanced to the Munster final of the Jim O'Driscoll Cup against Páidín Stokes. He beat Tim Young and Michael Murphy. The race to Drogheda intensifies this week with a series of Munster semi-finals. The junior C takes top billing, with Conor Lucey and Cathal Creedon meeting at Ballinacurra tomorrow and Eoin O'Donovan and Michael Ahern meeting in the other semi-final at Curraheen on Sunday. In the Tim White Cup at Rosscarbery there were wins for Kenneth Murphy over Ger Connolly, for Timmy Murphy against David Hegarty, and Darragh Dempsey beat Andrew O'Callaghan.
