World Rugby explain two tackle techniques now outlawed

A good move.

The "hip drop" tackle is being outlawed with a change to the current laws, which will come into effect on November 1.

The "knee drop" tackle is technically already banned, but a new guideline has been put in place to reinforce the law.

The changes have been brought in by World Rugby, as they continue to improve the safety of the game and reduce injuries to players.

You can watch video examples of both tackle techniques here and here.

As described by World Rugby, the definition of the "hip drop" tackle is as follows: "The “hip drop” tackle, where a tackler uses their bodyweight to pull a player to ground and drops onto the legs of a ball carrier from behind, will be explicitly added to foul play law and will be sanctioned with at least a penalty kick.

"Hip-drop tackle: When a ball carrier…
- is grasped and tackled from the side or behind,and;
- the tackler swings round or through the ball carrier, and/or;
- drops their hips/body weight down on to the legs or lower limbs of the ball carrier as…
they are brought to ground."

The "knee drop tackle" is described as: "The “knee drop” tackle, where a player drops to one or both knees before making a tackle, will be highlighted to players, coaches and match officials as an action already covered in law and can also be sanctioned with a penalty."

"It is recognised that there will be times when a defender makes simultaneous contact with the ground as they make a tackle. This will not be deemed to be foul play, providing it is not done dangerously.

However, fans have been questioning the crackdown on the "knee drop" tackle.

Their argument is that this contradicts World Rugby's attempts to lower the tackle height.

However, these type of tackle can lead to players easily flipping themselves, with their heads driving towards the ground.

World Rugby's caveat - "It is recognised that there will be times when a defender makes simultaneous contact with the ground as they make a tackle. This will not be deemed to be foul play, providing it is not done dangerously" - is also crucial.