Rugby league tightens concussion rules but has no plans to lower tackle height

Rugby league has further tightened its concussion rules for the 2023 season, but the sport will not amend its stance on tackle height despite significant and controversial changes adopted by rugby union.

The Rugby Football Union will ban tackling above waist height from next season in the community game, a decision that has met a significant backlash. But the 13-player code has no immediate plans to adopt a similar policy before the domestic season beginning at professional level later this month.

Related: The Breakdown | RFU must square fiendish circle on tackling after spectacular blunder

The Rugby Football League has a dedicated head contact working group that has proposed some minor tweaks, which could be trialled at academy level as early as this season. But there are no proposals for widespread changes to the tackle height rules like those seen in union.

The sport’s governing body will enact research throughout 2023 to understand the ramifications of any potential major changes to the laws. In league any tackle around or above the neck is deemed illegal.

However, the sport has tightened its concussion policy as the focus on how to further prevent long-lasting damage from head injuries continues. That includes an increase in the minimum stand-down period after a player suffers a concussion to 12 days, up from 11.

That increase ensures that any player with a concussion will miss their team’s next match, and prevents them from any form of contact, whether during games or training, for a longer period.

“We have reviewed the World Rugby models and it sits in line with that and offers a consistent and cautious approach within this space,” the RFL’s head of medical, Laura Fairbank, said. “It builds in an extra day of exercise recovery and it is indicated that can help facilitate a more thorough recovery from concussion.”

There is also no scope for any player to return faster than 12 days under the RFL’s Graded Return to Play (GRTP) policy. Fairbank added: “There is no accelerated protocol, so the basic will be 12 days providing there has been no complications throughout that GRTP period: 12 days is the minimum.”

The RFL is also adopting a policy introduced at last year’s Rugby League World Cup that enables a club to add an extra player if a team loses three to concussions. The hope is that it will encourage more players to report their symptoms accurately and remove the belief they would be leaving their teammates stretched if they were removed from a game.

“We know players may not report symptoms if they feel they’re letting teammates down, so if there’s another man on the bench, they can report those concussions and come off,” Fairbank added. “And it reduces the load on the players that are still on the bench.”