| Last week the RFU Council voted to adopt law changes to lower the tackle height in community rugby to below the base of the sternum to improve player safety by reducing the risk of head-to-head contact and concussion. To support players, coaches, referees, volunteers and CBs with these changes ahead of the 2023/24 season, a comprehensive range of online resources, guidance documents, training videos and face-to-face training opportunities are being created by the RFU to run from May throughout the summer and into next season. All resources, informed by community feedback provided through the consultation process, will be made available via the England Rugby Tackle Height Hub. New resources available on the Tackle Height Hub today include: Tackle height roadmap Responsibilities of the tackler graphic* Responsibilities of the ball carrier graphic* Legal tackle height examples Tackle height picture quiz Tackle height law information pack Law application guidance Sanction framework Tackle height information video Tackle height guidance video *Please note, physical poster versions of the Tackler and Ball Carrier graphics have today been sent to RFU Affiliated clubs. These resources and training materials will also be supplemented by existing RFU guidance and training, including an updated RFU Headcase toolkit. Summer age-grade framework The RFU Council has also approved a regulation amendment to allow a framework for age grade rugby activity over the summer, enabling appropriate contact activity to take place. This builds on the summer framework as used in the last few years and replaces the previous age grade out of season regulations. Age-grade summer framework for 2023 On top of the age-grade summer framework there are further updates for the age-grade game on the Tackle Height hub: Regulation and Playing Updates Game On Adapted Contact Format U14 to 18 Activity Overview Read More |
Reduction in tackle height from season 23/24
| RFU Council approves reduction in tackle height across community rugby in England from 2023/24 |
| Issued by Rugby Football Union |
| To support player welfare, the RFU Council agreed on Monday 16 January to lower the height of the tackle across the community game from 1 July 2023. Designed to improve player safety and informed by data, this change aims to reduce head impact exposure and concussion risk in the tackle for both the ball carrier and tackler. Evidence from studies has consistently demonstrated that higher contact on the ball carrier and closer proximity of the ball carrier and tacklers’ heads are associated with larger head impacts (as measured by smart mouthguards) and an increased risk of concussion. Lowering the height of the tackle and encouraging the tackler to bend more at the waist will minimise the risk of this occurring while maintaining the tackle as an integral part of the game. The RFU Council’s unanimous vote will result in law variations from next season, 2023/24, with the tackle height being set at waist height or below. Ball carriers will also be encouraged to follow the principle of evasion, which is a mainstay of the game, to avoid late dipping and thereby avoid creating a situation where a bent tackler may be put at increased risk of head-on-head contact with the ball carrier through a late or sudden change in body height of the ball carrier. The changes will apply across the community game (clubs, schools, colleges and universities) at both age-grade and adult levels – National One and below in the men’s game and Championship One and below in the women’s game. Programmes to support players, coaches and match officials, including detailed law application guidelines are being developed to ensure players, match officials and volunteers will be ready for next season. Speaking about the law change to be implemented in season 2023/24, RFU President Nigel Gillingham said: “Players’ welfare must always be at the centre of decisions we make about how we play the game of rugby. Evidence from our own research and from around the world clearly shows that lowering the tackle height will reduce head impact exposure and the risk of concussion. The RFU Council is able to influence how the game is played at the community level in this country and, therefore, has unanimously supported the decision to lower the tackle height to waist level. The tackle will remain the primary method of stopping the ball carrier using safe techniques that are taught from an early age. “While this change will apply to matches in the community game in England, the RFU will continue its work to reduce head impacts in contact training in both the community and elite games and be supportive of any law changes that World Rugby proposes for matches at the elite level that will further reduce head impact exposure.” What to expect Reduced tackle height for all community rugby: Tackles must be made at the line of the waist and below. The aim is to put players’ heads in the safest possible place by defining in law where the line of the tackle may start. A greater focus on the actions of the ball carrier: Ball carriers will be encouraged to follow the principle that rugby is a game of evasion, and they should avoid late dipping and thereby avoid creating a situation where a bent tackler may be put at increased risk of head-on-head contact with the ball carrier through a late or sudden change in body height of the ball carrier. Match officials will focus on the actions of the ball carrier as well as the tackler when head contact occurs. Further background to the change for next season Player welfare remains at the heart of all decision-making. By making the decision now, the RFU Council has demonstrated its continued commitment to player welfare and recognised the importance of giving coaches, match officials and players time to prepare. Based on extensive research and evaluations of law changes in England, South Africa, France and New Zealand, evidence demonstrates that a waist height tackle or below is the optimal height to provide a meaningful reduction in the height of contact on the ball carrier, a reduction in the risk of contact with the ball carrier’s head and a reduction in the risk of contact for the tackler’s head. A lower tackle height is also associated with a reduction in the magnitude of head impacts, a key target for reduction. France, which introduced similar changes in its domestic game in 2019, reported a 63% reduction in head-on-head contacts. It also reported this move has led to a more fluid game with reduced levels of kicking, increased passing, offloads and line breaks. |
Remember to get your Game On
| Getting your Game On In the lead up to matchdays, in the adult game, you may be short of a full 15. With Game On, you only need a minimum of ten players per side to get the game played and treated as a full 15-a-side game*. David Flatman, explains more about Game On and how you can use it in the video below. Video Game On means you can still get your matches played with more flexible options, because every game matters. The 2022/2023 season has seen enhancements to Game On, including additional scrum options, which you can read more about below. |
| The scrum can be modified to allow for a contested 1.5m push. If you don’t have a front row or if you have players new to the front row, you still have the option to go uncontested. As long as the referee has been notified 30 minutes prior to kick off that Game On might be used, these changes can be made during the game if teams feel it appropriate. Game On is a great way to ensure players can play each week, even when short of a full 15.You can even choose to reduce the pitch size and duration of the match to suit the needs of the players. By enabling players to play each week, you will keep them engaged and coming back for more as you continue to build towards a full 15. 10 v 10 one week, 11 v 11 the next, hopefully you will soon be back to the full complement of players. So, before you think about cancelling or postponing a match, consider how you can Get your Game On using the flexible options available. *Check out our dedicated Game On page below which includes details about which leagues the options can be used in. Game On David Flatman Video |
Game Development Questionnaire – Urgent
Morning All
I’m putting this out in my role as Game Development lead for CRFU and have identified these contact E mails from the handbook.
At CRFU we are looking to support clubs in your emergence from COVID and through what will undoubtedly be challenging times. As such we have established a ‘risk register’, the register is scored, so that we can identify all areas of strength and weakness in the county and through the scoring matrix identify where the most concern lies and look to focus accordingly. In order to effectively update a Risk Register we need to know what challenges you, the member of CRFU face. therefore we have developed the attached questionnaire.
If we could ask you to discuss with club colleagues & complete the form by the end of July. The aim of the document is to obtain a picture from you of where you consider risk lies in your club and what support you would like. The form may be of use to you and your own club management to identify where risk lies in your own club and help you address priorities but will certainly allow the County management board to know where you see the greatest risk lies and help us target support. We will then explain priorities and how we can support via a combination of meetings ( online & physical ) and the CRFU website.
As stated if it could be completed by the end of July this will allow us to analyse and discuss areas of focus for next season.
Any comments or questions please reply to me.
James Instance
Chair Game Development
Kids First Contact Courses
To register please contact on the link shown above for either Falmouth or Liskeard.
England Rugby Training Courses
Distribution – CB coaching lead, Referee Society Training Officer
Good afternoon,
I hope my email finds you safe and well.
This week we have released our training programme for August – November. This includes England Rugby Coaching and Refereeing awards, principles of scrummage, Kids First Contact and Kids First Tag. These courses are all available to book online. The attached guide, England Rugby Training Courses 22/23, is an excellent resource which we’d like CBs/Societies to add to websites as a first port of call for volunteers looking to engage in training. The guide provides information on all our resources, face to face and online and gives clear instruction on how to search and book.
Our primary means of promotion is via social media – we always try to tag in local CBs, societies and host venues where possible. By sharing the post or liking them it then widens the reach so please continue to support these posts and pages and follow if not already doing so. We will also, at times leading up to courses, use GMS to contact club volunteers direct.
Finally, a number of CBs and Societies have investigated the use of voucher codes to support volunteers. We no longer accept group booking or third-party payments for individuals – codes are a great way to bulk buy and then distribute to the game. The guides below provide information on how the CB/Society can buy these and allocate them against an individual and then how the individual uses them once assigned. If interested, please take some time to follow the guides and share with anyone you are supplying them to.
Purchasing organisation – CB/club buying for a club member – how to buy and allocate the voucher – https://help.rfu.com/support/solutions/articles/15000062821-voucher-codes-organisation-purchasing-user-guide
Volunteer using voucher once allocated – https://help.rfu.com/support/solutions/articles/15000061152-how-to-use-voucher-codes-when-booking-a-course-course-participant-user-guide
Thanks for your ongoing support and I hope you all have a great summer.
Many thanks,
Tim Pickard
Area Training Manager- South West
07738 822 734
@rfuswestgamedev
Principles of the Lineout Courses, venues Penzance, Launceston & Falmouth
One course venue will be down at the Mennaye on the 6th April, whilst another venue that might appeal to those in the East of Cornwall is at Ivybridge RFC 7th March. To book click on the link
Hot off the press. There are now courses at Launceston RC on the 24th March and 20th April at Falmouth RFC.
England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award
Bookings are now open for the England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award (previously Level 3) pre requisite Workshops for the 2022/2023 Season. The purpose of this course is to develop self-reflecting advanced practitioners with a clear understanding of what drives, influences and supports them to get better. The Advanced Award is a yearlong course, which is competence assessed. For coaches to achieve competence, there will be a significant expectation concerning the volume of work and requirements to demonstrate the competencies, above and beyond their normal coaching roles. Before engaging in the prerequisite Workshops, please reflect on your readiness to complete the Award alongside existing commitments.
The pre requisite Workshops consist of the below:
Workshop 1 (On Demand)- to be completed by 31st December 2021- https://bit.ly/ERACA-W1
The first Workshop will be delivered On Demand from the 1st November 2021- 31st December 2021 via Workcast. This means that you can complete the Webinar at any time between the 1st November 2021 and 31st December 2021. Please ensure that you register for this course via the GMS Booking link above. Failure to do so, may mean that the Workshop is not added to your GMS profile and will prevent you from accessing the full Award Course. We will be collating a list of all those that complete the Webinar via Workcast on 31st December, so please ensure you complete this Workshop by then to progress to Workshop 2.
This first Workshop will introduce you to key differences between the England Rugby Coaching Award and the England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award. We will also look at the course format and structure to give you an understanding of what you might expect from the full Award Course.
Workshop 2 (Live Sessions)- in January & February 2022
All those that complete Workshop 1 by 31st December 2021, will be notified of the Workshop 2 dates and booking links in the New Year 2022. These session will be live and delivered via Microsoft Teams. Once again, individuals will need to ensure that they register via GMS for this Workshop to be added to their GMS profile.
Workshop 2 will introduce some of the course content, including Game (Tactical) Understanding, Co Coaching and Observation. This session will give you an idea of the type of content delivered and enable you to make a decision about your readiness to engage with the level of content and understanding required of an Advanced Coach.
England Rugby Advanced Award 2022-2023 Bookings (£1000)
Following the conclusion of the pre requisite Workshops, all eligible candidates will be contacted directly with booking links to access the full Award Course. Please note, that in addition to the prerequisite Workshops above, candidates will also need to demonstrate that:
– They have held a Level 2/ ERCA for 3 years or more- completed prior to 1st September 2019.
– Have attended both Advanced Workshop 1 (Nov/Dec 2021) and Advanced Workshop 2 (Jan/Feb 2022).
– Be in an active coaching role (in England) with the same team across a whole season, spanning the course cycle with tasks set in mind.
– Acceptable environments:
o Age Grade
o Youth & Schools
o Adult Community
o Talent Pathway
o Adult Performance
The above pre requisites to access the full Award Course are not negotiable and will need to be demonstrated on an individual’s GMS profile.
We wish you the best of luck with your continued Coaching Journey.
Kind Regards,
RFU Game Development Team
e-mail:waynereed@rfu.com
Game Changers on-line course
Do you want to create meaningful games based practices to effectively develop your players? Sign up to one of our upcoming FREE Game Changers online workshop throughout November.
Register your place via http://EnglandRugby.com/courses
Wayne Reed
RFU SW Game Development
ERCA & ERRA Courses in Cornwall
It’s often said that there would be no game without a ref! The C.R.R.S. have reported that at present there is a worrying lack of referees in the county. Some have retired, and injuries and unavailability for various reasons are not helping. There is to be a Referee’s Course on 10th Oct. at Callywith College, Bodmin commencing at 9am, but if there are not sufficient numbers, it will have to be cancelled. At present there are 6 registered, but they need about double to run it. Can this be circulated to clubs. Ideally every club should have at least one club ref. This would greatly help. So if you have ever fancied taking up the whistle, Now is the time.
People need to complete the online Headcase concussion course before they can register for the award courses. I have communicated this in all my messages but I don’t think the message has got through. It’s free and can be found by searching for Headcase Online Course, see link near end of post.
Attention of all Club Coaching Co-ordinators
Please circulate to all coaches in your clubs and let’s get a good number booked in for Wayne please.
Please find below information about the 2021-22 dates and venues for award courses being run locally to support coaching and refereeing. I have also included a course description for the Coaching and Refereeing Awards (Old Level 2).
Please can you share this information with your clubs coaches ASAP and ask them to register by following the links below. These will be the only opportunity to complete these courses in the next 12 months so please encourage your coaches to sign up.
| Venue | Course | Day 1 | Day 2 | URL |
| Callywith College | ERCA | 17.10.21 | 22.5.22 | https://bit.ly/2Tr5DwU |
| Callywith College | ERRA | 10.10.21 | 15.05.22 | https://bit.ly/3zjRJvQ |
The England Rugby Coaching Award consists of two face to face days, supported by monthly webinars and online community of practices.
This course is an entry point for those coaching U12’s and above. The course will provide coaches with the knowledge, skills and attributes to safely and effectively coach young players and adults.
The England Rugby Refereeing Award consists of two face to face days, supported by monthly webinars and online community of practices.
This course is an entry point for those refereeing U12 and above. The course will provide referees and coaches with the knowledge, skills and attributes to safely and effectively referee young players and adults.
In the meantime, if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. waynereed@rfu.com
IMPORTANT
One of the requirements to book a place on an award course is that you have completed headcase recently.
If you follow this link https://www.englandrugby.com/participation/playing/headcase you can complete this e-Learning and once this is on your record you will be able to book onto the courses. There may be a delay after completing Headcase before you can register for award courses!
You need to complete the Training Module not the Open Access course.
