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Rugby Australia says it wants to be part of a trial in community rugby to lower the legal tackle height from the shoulder line to below the sternum.
- World Rugby has called on national unions to conduct trials on lowering the tackle height to below the sternum
- The trial will only be for community rugby
- World Rugby says 74 per cent of concussions in rugby come during tackles
The move follows an announcement from World Rugby calling on national unions to conduct trials aimed at reducing the amount of concussions in the game.
World Rugby said tackles account for 74 per cent of concussions in the game.
The World Rugby Council will vote in May to implement an opt-in trial for the national unions.
Rugby Australia immediately indicated it would participate in a trial and, while the details of where and when have not been finalised, at this stage there will not be any changes to the rules of professional rugby.
"As part of the trial, Rugby Australia will undertake broad community consultation to gather feedback from players, coaches, match officials, teachers, parents, administrators and medical professionals to ensure their perspective is considered in any future decisions on tackle height in the community game," Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos said.
A spokesman for Rugby Australia told ABC Sport trials would be conducted in community rugby later in the year, possibly in the Northern Territory, where competitions start later in the year than in the eastern states.
New laws would come into place only allowing tackles from the sternum down.
The spokesman said the trials would be about collecting data, with research projects already underway looking at the correlation between tackling and concussions.
World Rugby said trials of lower tackle heights in France and South Africa had helped reduce player impacts and concussion.
"If our sport is to continue to grow, we must ensure that we are accessible and relevant to more people around the world," World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said.
"With compelling emerging evidence showing that a lower legal tackle height means a lower head injury risk, as well as more people playing, we are compelled to act."
The proposed changes are just for community rugby — the level underneath premier club rugby — but Gilpin said World Rugby would be open to member unions conducting closed trials at the elite level.