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Reds prodigy Treyvon Pritchard nears return as World Rugby bans hip-drop tackle

World Rugby bans the tackle style that sidelined the teenager at the junior championships

By LineZotpaper
Published
Updated
Read Time2 min
Sources4 outlets
Australian rugby prospect Treyvon Pritchard is close to returning from an ankle injury that ended his World Rugby Junior Championship campaign and any outside chance of a shock Wallabies call-up. The injury came from a hip-drop tackle, a style World Rugby has now banned.

Australian rugby prospect Treyvon Pritchard is nearing a comeback from the ankle injury that ended his World Rugby Junior Championship campaign and any outside chance of a shock Wallabies selection. The teenager, who impressed in a dazzling debut season for the Queensland Reds, suffered a syndesmosis injury and a broken ankle during the junior championship when Wales halfback Sion Davies brought him down with a hip-drop tackle. Davies was not penalised for the incident.

The tackle style, which involves a defender using body weight to pull a player to the ground while impacting the back of their leg, has become more common in the NRL and NFL. World Rugby has now banned the dangerous version of the tackle.

Queensland Reds general manager of high performance Sam Cordingley has confirmed Pritchard was poised to join the club on overseas tours this year. Cordingley also urged for the game in Queensland to be used as an outlet to test law changes. Pritchard is recovering well after surgery.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • Pritchard's return gives the Reds and Australian rugby a potential attacking option for the club's overseas tours this year.
  • The injury is a concrete example of the hip-drop tackle's danger just as World Rugby moves to ban it.
  • Any move to test law changes in Queensland would put the state's competition at the centre of how new rules are applied.

Background

The hip-drop tackle has become a focus of concern in contact sports because it can pin a ball carrier's leg under the tackler's body weight. World Rugby's ban comes after Pritchard was hurt in a junior championship match, an incident that went unpunished on the field. Cordingley's comments tie the Reds' interest in trialling law changes to the broader push to make the tackle safer.

Key Perspectives

Treyvon Pritchard: A young player aiming to resume a breakout season and rebuild his case for higher honours after surgery. Sam Cordingley and the Queensland Reds: Confident about Pritchard's recovery and keen for Queensland rugby to trial rule changes that could make the game safer and more attractive. World Rugby and officials: The ban signals player welfare is the priority, though the failure to penalise the original tackle raises questions about consistency in enforcement.

What to Watch

  • Confirmation of Pritchard's availability for the Reds' overseas tours and how quickly he returns to match form.
  • How referees apply the new hip-drop ban in the early weeks after its introduction.
  • Whether Rugby Australia or Queensland authorities take up Cordingley's suggestion to test law changes in the Sunshine State.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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