Front tackle has the highest risk of a player being injured and occurs most frequently during a game. The defending player must deny the attacking player the space and options to dominate the tackle situation, who would once forget Jonah Lomu’s situation against Mike Catt during the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. Important points to remember during the tackle are:
Follow the attacking player – run to his shoulder farthest from the touchline.
Stay in contact with the attacking player for as long as possible, deny him space.
Don’t cross your feet.
Keep your face up during the tackle; do not drop your chin to avoid a concussion and neck injury.
Keep your eyes open and focus on your opponent; see where you are going to make contact with the attacking player.
Focus between the attacker’s chest and hips (core): footwork can be deceptive.
Emphasize your back stance – this allows you to get a lower, stronger and more powerful position to tackle.
Align your head to both sides of the attacker and not in front of his body, do not make contact with the top of his head.
Stay on the balls of your feet to avoid being stepped on.
Follow the direction of the blow with your head.
Use shorter, faster steps as you approach the attacker, do not put your feet down.
Get into the stance of a boxer, with your elbows low and your hands raised to reinforce your leverage and force of contact.
The same foot and shoulder must follow the dive and step towards the tackle.
Wrap your arms around the attacker, pull him up, and drive from his legs.
Bring your whole body into contact for greater strength and power.
Maintain leg momentum to allow forward momentum
The side tackle is safer with less confrontation; the risk of injury is lower, but the same general body positions and techniques apply as mentioned above. Emphasize that the defender must never, under any circumstances, hit the attacker with the head; This can cause a concussion and neck injury.
The most suffocating tackle is the forward tackle where the defending player stands most upright on defense and tries to put his arms around the attacker’s arms and ball. This is to prevent the attacker from passing it or releasing it to score a try. The same steps, body positions and general techniques should be applied as described in the front tackle.
The tackle is done above waist level and below shoulder height.
The most suffocating tackle is not recommended for inexperienced players, as the risk of injury is greater.
All tackles above the shoulder line are not allowed and will be penalized accordingly. Lifting and dropping, a variation of which is the “spear rig”, are also dangerous and can cause serious injury.