French rugby bosses propose lowering tackle height

Bernard Laporte, the president of the French Rugby Federation, says rugby must evolve, with changes to attitudes and the rules on tackling.

 

 

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has proposed to World Rugby that tackling above the waist should be banned.

World Rugby president Bill Beaumont was in Paris at a meeting which was also attended by FFR boss Bernard Laporte and French National League (LNR) president Paul Goze on Thursday.

The talks were arranged to discuss player welfare and safety following the tragic death of Stade Francais teenager Nicolas Chauvin, who suffered a heart attack after breaking his neck in a recent academy match against Bordeaux.

Laporte suggested that the legal height of tackles should be lowered and called for the introduction of a ban on two-player tackles and head-on-head tackles.

FFR president Laporte said: "The health of our players is an absolute priority for us. Our game must evolve fundamentally and rugby must become a game of movement where avoidance overrides the impact.

"For this, it is important to change attitudes and change the rules, especially on tackling. First by informing and training our players on the rules of the game and, beyond the technique, make them aware that they are also the actors of their own safety."

The FFR offered to trial the laws in amateur competitions in France.