There was one painful afternoon I remember when I was playing U14 rugby many, many years ago.
Our ever-demanding coach, Oliver Tavares, drilled us to the point of tears and desperation. Much to our discomfort, rain also started pouring near the end of the training session. Our coach was not deterred.
He said, “we are not going home until you guys can show me you can tackle!” He was unmoved by the impatient parents waiting dutifully nearby.
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‘You will learn how to tackle the man!’
“No. Today boys, no one is leaving until you can tackle!”
He stuck to his word!
‘Tackle, tackle!’ he screamed. “Are you scared? Why are you crying? This is a contact sport! You will learn how to tackle the man! Go low! No matter how big they are, no one can run without legs!”
The coach did get into a spot of trouble afterwards. I only returned home at 8pm!
Looking back, that particular session was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Parents and boys had been complaining for weeks about his draconian style and finally, the Principal addressed it.
Thankfully, he survived and continued coaching.
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Thinking back, I am very grateful for Olly. He taught us not only how to tackle, but that grit, determination and hope are keys to achieving your goals. Plus, we were not scared after that. And in fact, enjoyed playing so much more equipped with the ability to tackle!
It was transformative!
Even back then the drill was – go low!
The new tackling laws instituted by World Rugby is a significant change. It is about safety – to reduce the occurance of head injuries – particulalry at school level. The professional level seems to keep pace with the swift dynamic of the game.
Rugby is becoming faster and faster.
We covered it on THT recently when Ziaan spoke to sport scientist Ross Tucker. Understandably there has been quite a bit of reaction to the new laws but there is time for unions to get to grips with it.
SARU is yet to release their respsonse but England, Wales have already agreed to the change. Initially only for scholar and club level.
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The elite levels have more time. But some critics suggest it may only be until 2027 when pros apply the new trackling law.
What do you think, a good move for the game?
