High Tackle Directive added 24-09-19

 

Three Stage Process

 

Is the tackle a shoulder charge or high tackle?

 

DEFINITIONS

 

Shoulder charge

 

Arm of the shoulder making contact with the ball carrier is behind the tackler’s body or tucked in ‘sling’ position at contact

 

High tackle

 

An illegal tackle causing head contact, where head contact is identified by clear contact to ball carrier’s head/neck OR the head visibly moves backwards from the contact point OR the ball carrier requires an HIA

 

Note: the head’s first movement is back in a head-contact tackle or head-contact shoulder charge, and forward in a ‘body-contact’ tackle or ‘body-contact’ shoulder charge

 

IF SHOULDER CHARGE or HIGH TACKLE:

 

1.Was there ball carrier head/neck contact?

 

2.What is the degree of danger – high or low?

 

3.Are there clear and obvious mitigating factors?*

 

* For mitigation, only one reduction in sanction can apply, irrespective of the number of mitigating factors present

 

How the referees apply the laws in a shoulder charge

 

Firstly a shoulder charge is defined as follows: "Arm of the shoulder making contact with the ball carrier is behind the tackler’s body or tucked in ‘sling’ position at contact."

 

Sanctions are issued as follows:

 

• Red card - If a shoulder charge makes contact with the head or neck, it is by default a red card in the new framework.

 

• Sin bin - If there is no contact with the neck but there is a high degree of danger, the player should be sin binned.

 

• Penalty - If there is no contact with the neck and there is a high degree of danger, it is a penalty.