Overview
- The sternum-height tackle will be trialed throughout the 2026 World Rugby U20 Championship, marking the first elite-level test of the lower threshold.
- Companion measures will be tested, including pick-and-go allowances near rucks and in-goal, sanctions for ball carriers who lead with the head, and conditional double tackles when the first contact is below the sternum.
- World Rugby will run an intensive education program for referees and players within the single-competition environment to ensure consistent application.
- Community trials in 11 unions showed an 8–10% drop in upright tackles with some reports of fewer concussions, prompting a recommendation to make the rule full law at community level from July 2026.
- Leaders caution they are “a long, long way” from any permanent elite change, with U20 outcomes to be judged against safety and spectacle metrics before wider trials.