Home

🚨 IMPORTANT: Knee / Hip Drop Tackles! 🏉⚠️

🛑 Player Welfare Update: Knee & Hip Drop Tackles 🏉🛡️

Following recent guidance and law clarifications from World Rugby and the RFU, player safety remains our absolute top priority across all levels of the game.

We want to ensure our entire community—players, coaches, clubs, and supporters—are fully clued-up on knee and hip drop tackles, why they are heavily penalised, and how we protect players on the pitch.

🛑 The Risk: Drop-style and knee-drop tackles introduce dangerous, unmitigated body weight, rotational force, or illegal off-feet contact onto a player's lower limbs or joints, significantly increasing the risk of serious injury.
⚖️ The Law: Tacklers must always bring opponents to ground safely while staying on their feet. Dropping to one knee prematurely to make a tackle or executing a high-risk hip drop is heavily clamped down upon by match officials under current law interpretations. Knee drop has been clarified this month. Hip Drops become part of law in November.
🤝 Working Together: Safe rugby relies on everyone—coaches drilling proper technique, players staying disciplined, and our referees protecting player welfare every weekend.

You can read the official breakdown and context directly via the World Rugby Law Clarification on Dangerous Tackles.

Let's keep our game safe, competitive, and enjoyable for everyone from grassroots to elite rugby! 🦊💪

Thinking of becoming a referee?

Its often asked why join? Hopefully, this will put your mind at rest and get you to give our recruitment secretary Cliff a call. Recruitment & Training it will be worth it! Were working on an exciting new website page - keep your eyes peeled!

🌧️ Pitch Safety: No Pitch, No Game 🏉🦊

Following recent weather conditions across the region, pitch safety remains our top priority as we prepare for upcoming pre-season friendlies. The competetive season delay still holds.

The rule for all clubs and match officials is clear: No safe pitch, no game. 🛑

📋 Pitch Inspections & Decision-Making

We appreciate that pitch maintenance and hydration vary greatly across the county:

Varied Surface Conditions: We are fortunate that some grounds across Leicestershire feature heavily irrigated pitches or AGPs (Artificial Grass Pitches), providing excellent playing surfaces even during challenging weather.
Prioritizing Safety Everywhere: Regardless of level, facilities, or resources, every pitch must meet basic safety standards before a ball is kicked.
Mutual & Referee Agreement:
- If either club representative or captain feels the surface is unsafe, there is no game.
- If both teams wish to play, but the match official deems the surface unsafe upon inspection, there is no game.

🛡️ Full Society Support

The Society fully backs every match official, club volunteer, and captain who makes the call to cancel, postpone, or relocate a fixture on safety grounds. 🤝

Let’s protect player welfare, look out for one another, and ensure we only take to the field when conditions permit.

For further details, please consult the official RFU Matchday Guidance.

https://help.rfu.com/support/solutions/articles/103000411631-match-official-guidance

Summer Newsletters 2026

We wouldn't normally post two newsletters but given its a new website celebration HERE YOU GO!