Former All Blacks star Israel Dagg believes that there will be significant \u2018confusion\u2019 after World Rugby decided to expand its tackle height law trial.<\/p>\n
For the elite players, it is currently at shoulder level, but sternum height has been trialled in the community game in various countries over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n
The global governing body will now lower the tackle height for the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2026, which is the biggest step they have taken to potentially make it law later down the line.<\/p>\n
Dagg was asked about the decision on Sport Nation\u2019s Scotty and Izzy show, and he was initially in support of it, particularly following the incident involving rugby league player Eli Katoa, who suffered three head shots in the same game.<\/p>\n
What happened to rugby league star Eli Katoa<\/p>\n
Katoa was knocked out before a Tonga match but was allowed to play and then proceeded to sustain two more hits to the head.<\/p>\n
It resulted in a bleed on the brain, with the forward undergoing an operation. Thankfully, Katoa is currently recovering but his career remains in the balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite evident now, with Eli Katoa and so on, that they\u2019re going to continue to try and shift the tackle height, so you\u2019ve got to start somewhere, and this is an opportunity for these kids to learn and develop, and try and lower that tackle height,\u201d Dagg said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou feel for the big men, particularly the South African<\/a> locks, who are already struggling to get low.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to try and change the way that we approach the game defensively and now teams are going to have to adapt and adjust, and look for certain ways to try and dominate the tackle.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way that I played, and a lot of teams play, you\u2019ve got one low and one high, and now there\u2019s going to be a lot of concern for that player coming up high.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s probably going to be confusing as hell because like everything and every change, there are going to be moments out there where you\u2019re thinking, \u2018what the hell is going on? Why is that decision being made\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully there\u2019s some common sense prevailing in this, but I\u2019m for it. I think it\u2019s a good opportunity to make some changes and potentially help some HIAs and head knocks.\u201d<\/p>\n