The height trial for the RFU is over after the increase in concussions in the Championship Cup

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has ended prematurely the testing of a new law on the height of the apparatus after an increase in the number of concussions.

The matches of the Championship Cup were subject to new rules and players were not allowed to attack over the armpit.

But concussions have multiplied among players facing opponents bent at the waist to carry the ball.

The shoulder line will again be the height allowed for the tackle when the playoffs begin next month.

RFU is committed to an evidence-based approach to injury prevention.

Nigel Melville, Acting Chief of the UFR

"We need to badyze the data in more detail, but our preliminary badysis showed that all of these incidents occurred when a bent-sized platler was trying to attack a bent-back at the waist after a brief pbadage from the fray, "said Nigel Melville, Acting Director General of RFU.

"This is an area that the trial did not seek to influence, as the primary goal was to reduce the risk of concussion when both the ball carrier and the tackler were upright."

The trial, which was to last for the duration of the competition for the second-tier teams in England, was able to bring down the heights of equipment.

The number of tackle over the underarm line decreased by 25%, while the number of contacts with the head or neck of a running back decreased by 41%.

"It has always been a test and we were not certain of the results," added Melville.

"Our two main objectives were to determine if, by amending the law, the height of the harness could actually be reduced and if a reduction in the height of the harness then reduced the risk of a concussion."

Analysis

Chris Jones, BBC union correspondent

I understand that the number of trial motions has increased by approximately 67%, from an average of 0.6 games per game in the regular season to one match per game in the Premier League Cup.

As expected, the number of concussions caused by the right tacklers decreased significantly, but the number of concussion incidents around the breakup increased dramatically as the ball carrier and tackle were bent at the waist.

Although the trial was conducted with the best intentions in the world, it showed how difficult it would be for administrators to make the professional game safer. There is no quick fix.