The tackle, the questions that come up
How high, what counts as held plus what the tackler has to do next.
Free to read with no account. They work at a pitch with no signal too.
The answers
How high is a child allowed to tackle?
Below the base of the sternum, which the RFU spells out as the tummy or belly or below. Contact above that line stops the game, the offender gets spoken to and the other side restarts. The line is the same at every grade from U9 right through U12.
U9 and up
What actually counts as a tackle?
The carrier is held by one or more opponents and brought to ground, with arms used. A carrier who was never held hasn't been tackled, whatever it looked like from the touchline. That distinction is behind about half the decisions a parent queries.
U9 and up
Why can't my U9 defender grab the ball?
Because there's no contest for it at U9 at all. The tackler may hold on to stop the carrier gaining ground, but they may not grab at the ball or block the pass. They release the moment it's gone. Possession changes hands on a knock on, a forward pass or an infringement rather than in contact. That's the single biggest difference between U9 and U10.
U9 only
What does the referee mean by Tackle-Release?
It's the call once the carrier is on the ground. The tackler lets go straight away, gets to their feet as soon as they can, doesn't touch the ball, doesn't block the pass and gets back onside between their own goal line and the tackled player. Most free passes given against a young side are somebody who stayed down.
U9 and up
My player was held up on their feet. What happens now?
The referee gives it about three seconds to see whether they're genuinely held, then calls "Tackle". From that call there are three seconds to pass, standing or off the ground. They can keep going forward while they do it. Once the call has been made they can't score.
U9 and up
Why was my player penalised for going in with a shoulder?
The carrier may not go into contact with their shoulders below their hips, dip down late and low, or put their head into an opponent's head space. It's the carrier's job as much as the tackler's to keep the collision where it's safe. Running in low with a shoulder is the most common version of it.
U9 and up
Can a teammate drive the ball carrier forward?
No. Nobody may drive the carrier on with a shoulder or by binding onto them. Nobody may stand either side of them to keep the next tackler off. Both are a free pass. Support comes from behind.
U9 and up
Can the ball carrier hand somebody off?
Not until U12. Below the armpit even then, because anything higher is foul play and always was. Every player in your squad has spent four seasons being told a fend is a free pass against them, so expect it to take a while to turn up, then to turn up too high.
U12 and up
Equal Play is not affiliated with the RFU. Regulation 15 is theirs. These answers put it in our own words, so they are a summary rather than the thing itself. It is reissued every summer as well, so read this season's there rather than trusting a copy on somebody else's website. Ours included. If a referee on match day says something different to this page, they are right.
Read against the RFU's 2026/27 appendices in August 2026.
What your grade is allowed to do
The answers above say what the rule is. The rules guides say what a whole grade may do, which is the thing to read in August rather than in a car park.
- What U7 rugby looks like
- What U8 rugby looks like
- What U9 rugby looks like
- What U10 rugby looks like
- What U11 rugby looks like
- What U12 rugby looks like
The other questions
- Tag rugby. Tags, the three second count plus the six tag turnover. U7 and U8 only.
- Ruck and maul. Who may join, what "Use it" means plus where the offside line sits.
- The scrum. Three players at U10, five at U12, nobody pushing at either.
- Restarts and touch. Free passes, free kicks plus why there is no lineout anywhere in minis.
- Kicking. What the boot is allowed to do from U11, plus the U11 rule that looks wrong.
- Match day. The Half Game Rule, rolling subs plus what to do about uneven squads.
- The referee. Who referees, what they can give plus why there is no sin bin.
- Safety and welfare. Head knocks, mouthguards, hard ground plus mixed rugby.
- Running a session. How long, how many helpers plus what to do if you never played.
Every topic in one place is the way in. The app searches the answers themselves, which is what you want when you know what you saw rather than what it is called.