DUBLIN — World Rugby have moved to outlaw the ‘hip drop’ and ‘knee drop’ tackles from 1 November after an expert review found the techniques pose a serious risk of leg injuries, a decision driven in part by Springboks coach Felix Jones following the tackle that almost ended Elrigh Louw’s career in early 2025.
The hip drop is defined as where the tackler uses their bodyweight to pull their opponent to ground and drop onto their legs, while the knee drop sees the tackler drop to one or both knees when attempting to make a hit. The decision to ban both came after February’s Shape of the Game conference, when World Rugby commissioned an expert tackle height working group to investigate the techniques, which duly recommended the law be clarified and the tackles sanctioned. World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said: “We’re grateful to unions for raising the issue of these types of tackle with us. My thanks go to the working group and wider World Rugby team for the speed and breadth of their research and analysis,” adding: “Once we looked at the evidence, it was clear the hip drop tackles whilst rare, could cause significant leg injuries. It was also clear that knee drop tackles were on the rise,” and “Protecting player welfare is at the heart of everything that World Rugby does and once we’d reviewed the analysis we’ve acted quickly to ensure that dangerous tackles of this nature are removed from the game, starting this weekend.”
Under the law change, a hip drop tackle will carry a sanction of at least a penalty due to the danger it presents, while a knee drop will also be penalised to clarify the existing law that players are not allowed to tackle while on the ground, even though it is not deemed unsafe in the same way. Former Ireland star and International Rugby Players Association representative Rob Kearney said: “While a change of this nature can be challenging to manage in the short term as players, coaches and match officials adjust, this decision has been taken to protect players from potential serious injury, and that’s the right thing to do.”
The move follows high-profile injuries, including to South Africa loose forward Louw, who was sidelined for 10 months after suffering damaged ligaments in his left knee and a fractured leg from a hip drop tackle in early 2025. He returned to action last November and is still searching for his best form. Wallabies star Max Jorgensen was also a victim of the technique, missing almost four months after a tackle against the Highlanders in Super Rugby Pacific left him with ankle ligament damage that required surgery and almost ruled him out of the British and Irish Lions tour.
World Rugby said the changes show the commitment across the globe to player welfare in action and acknowledged unions for raising the issue. The governing body will now work with players, coaches and match officials to implement the clarified law ahead of its introduction on 1 November.