Laws

Law change November 2026 · in force from 1 Nov 2026

Law change - Hip drop tackles

The "hip drop" tackle is being banned outright from 1 November 2026. That's the tackle where a defender grabs the ball carrier from the side or behind and drops their body weight onto the carrier's legs as they go to ground. It is being added to Law 9.13 as a form of dangerous tackling, on player-welfare grounds, after a recommendation from World Rugby's Tackle Working Group and approval by its Executive Board on 28 September 2026. Referee guidance and disciplinary sanctions were still being finalised.

The listing shows "2026-11", which is the month the change takes effect; the exact publication date isn't given on the page.

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Law application guideline October 2026

Law application guideline - Dangerous tackles

A new guideline for referees covers dangerous "knee drop" tackles. The World Rugby page only announces it and links to a presentation for unions and referee groups, so check there for the detail.

Detail not verified: the announcement links to a presentation (worldrugby.box.com) that we haven't reviewed.

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Law changes July 2026 · in force from 1 Jul 2026

Law updates

On 17 June 2026, World Rugby's Council made four long-running law trials permanent from 1 July: the "brake foot" (for all levels), and, for elite rugby, limits on water carriers, the 20-minute red card replacement and the role of the TMO. Council also approved the lower community tackle-height wording and a batch of small wording tidy-ups. One effect is that some in-goal situations without a try now restart with a goal-line (try line) drop-out instead of a 22 drop-out. The changes apply to competitions starting after 1 July; leagues already under way should check with their union.

We list the trials as World Rugby names them; we haven't summarised the detail of each one.

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Law wording approved June 2026 · in force from 1 Jul 2026

Community Tackle Height law wordings approved

The law wording for a lower legal tackle height in community rugby was approved on 17 June 2026 and appears in the laws from 1 July 2026. Tacklers must stay below the relevant line in open play: the shoulders in elite rugby, and the waist or base of the sternum in community rugby. Under the Game On variations, match organisers can also choose extra options, such as penalising ball carriers who dip into contact or limiting double tackles.

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Law clarification June 2026 · in force from 1 Jun 2026

Law clarification - Actions of a scrum half when ending a ruck

New Zealand Rugby asked whether a scrum half who steps past the back of a ruck and moves the ball with their hands is breaking the ruck laws. The answer (Clarification 2-2026, dated 1 June 2026) is that, once the contest for the ball is clearly over, this causes no real offence, so referees should let play flow. Referees are also reminded to call "use it" promptly once the ball is won.

Read on World Rugby ↗ · Official text ↗

Law application guideline June 2026 · in force from 1 Jun 2026

Law Application Guideline - Players on the wrong side of the maul

This guideline covers players who end up beyond the ball in a maul after the contest is won and then pull or drag opponents. They're treated as having left the maul, and referees are asked to manage or penalise them. It doesn't change the law. It came out of World Rugby's Shape of the Game meeting and applies to competitions starting from 1 June 2026.

Read on World Rugby ↗ · Official text ↗

Education April 2026

New law exam now live

The online Laws exam on World Rugby Passport has been redesigned. It now has 6 sections and 60 questions, drawn at random from a bank of 290, instead of 25 sections and 144 questions. Existing certificates stay valid for two years from the date they were earned.

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