THERE is widespread concern for rugby at grassroots level after the Rugby Football Union announced their latest rule change to the tackle area.

The governing body in England confirmed that as of July 2023, new tackle regulations mean that players will only be allowed to tackle from waist height down in attempts to reduce head injuries.

The law comes in for the community game and covers clubs, schools, colleges and universities and the change will impact age-grade and adult levels - from National One and below in the men's game and Championship One and below in the women's game.

For one of those community teams, Droitwich RFC, chairman Iain Thomas believes the new rule change could be "the final nail in the coffin" for the sport.

"It's a very short space of time for players, coaches and referees to adapt to these new rules," he said.

"This is a further nail in the coffin for rugby. They (RFU) are just adding more and more subjectivity and interpretation to the game and how is that going to help bring new people into the game at any level?

"We should be simplifying things rather than making them more complicated."

The issue of head injury and concussion has been a discussion point in both the amateur and elite games and the law change has been made in attempts to "reduce head impact exposure".

The RFU said it will continue to work to "reduce head impacts in contact training in the community and elite games" and they will be supportive of any law changes proposed by World Rugby in "matches at the elite level that will further reduce head impact exposure".

But the timeframe clubs will now have to work towards is one big issue. The current season ends for most amateur sides at the end of March and then from there, the new laws come into play from July 1.

Thomas admits that is something which will be incredibly difficult to adjust to.

"At age grade level, we will have to start implementing these laws next week," he added.

"We will have to completely shift the emphasis to ensure people are able to play with new laws next season.

"At age group level, I can see how we could flow things through. Bringing this in at under-12 level, for example, and giving players time to adapt to these new laws, that's how you could see this working 

"But for senior rugby, this creates yet another obstacle for people have to compete with.

"20 years ago, we could get out four sides regularly. In the last two or three years, we have just reestablished Vets games and there is zero chance of that happening any more, that is dead.

"That is a huge social link for so many clubs and that will die. A lot of the old boys come around and have a run out 6 or 7 times a year, that is so important for the club. Some of them may be sponsors or volunteers, so if Vets games goes the importance of that cannot be understated." 

But it is also the lack of communication between the RFU and clubs that has angered many and now an online petition is doing the rounds on social media for the RFU to make a U-turn.

"The lack of engagement is remarkable," he added.

"In any large organisation, you need to keep people engaged and make people feel that they are being listened to, make people feel things are being done for the right reasons.

"There has been zero engagement from the RFU. They have not managed to share any of the scientific reasons around this and how it'll make things safer.

"Everyone is up for making things safer but to impose it with effectively a couple of months to go before next season, it's a phenomenally short time scale and has been done without proper information being shared with cubs.

"This could do untold damage to the grassroots game that is already suffering."