World Rugby Bans Hip-Drop Tackle From November, Adds Knee-Drop Crackdown
- World Rugby announced a law amendment banning the hip-drop tackle effective 1 November 2026
- Research found the technique, which drops body weight onto a ball carrier's lower limbs, can cause serious leg injuries
- World Rugby chair Brett Robinson credited unions for raising the issue at February's Shape of the Game conference
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World Rugby has approved a law change that will see the hip-drop tackle penalised in rugby union from 1 November 2026, citing player welfare concerns backed by research into the injury risks the technique poses.
The tackle involves a defender approaching from behind and dropping their body weight onto the lower limbs of a ball carrier. Research presented to World Rugby confirmed that, while the technique is uncommon, it carries a significant risk of causing serious leg injuries.
World Rugby Targets Two Dangerous Tackle Types
Alongside the hip-drop ban, World Rugby has moved to increase scrutiny of the knee-drop tackle, in which a defender drops to one or both knees before making contact with an attacker. Officials noted that incidents of this type have been on the rise and will now face stricter penalisation.
Leicester Tigers flanker Tommy Reffell received a yellow card in 2024 for being off his feet during a tackle on Northampton Saints back rower Sam Graham. This ruling reflected early officiating attention to this area.
The hip-drop tackle has already been outlawed in other codes. Rugby league banned it in 2020, and the NFL followed two years ago. Most recently, Newcastle Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland was sent off in rugby league following a hip-drop incident that left Nathan Cleary of the Penrith Panthers requiring emergency surgery.
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Robinson Credits Unions and Speed of Research
World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said member unions had raised concerns about hip-drop and knee-drop tackles at the governing body's annual Shape of the Game conference in February 2026.
Robinson said research by World Rugby's working group and wider team had found that hip-drop tackles, although rare, could cause significant leg injuries, while knee-drop tackles were becoming more common. He said the governing body had acted quickly after reviewing the evidence, with the changes aimed at protecting player welfare and removing dangerous tackles from the game.
The new sanctions will not apply to the upcoming Bledisloe Cup matches between New Zealand and Australia, nor to the WXV Global Series fixtures, but will be enforced across Nations Championship action beginning in November.
Source: Briefly News
