A spear tackle is an illegal
tackle in
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
,
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
and
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
in which a player lifts another player into the air and drops them so that they land on their back, head or neck. Spear tackles have caused serious injury including spinal damage, dislocations, broken bones in the shoulder or neck, and death. Due to the dangers, players executing a spear tackle in these sports are punished severely.
Rugby union
The term "spear tackle" has been in use since at least 1995.
World Rugby
World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...
(previously called the IRB) has ruled that a dangerous tackle of this type, sometimes also called a 'tip tackle', should be punished with a straight
red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction.
Red card may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers
* Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...
. An IRB memorandum on dangerous tackles from 8 June 2009 states: "At a subsequent IRB High Performance Referee Seminar at Lensbury referees were advised that for these types of tackles they were to start at red card as a sanction and work backwards."
The IRB amended the law (Law 10.4(j)), in December 2010.
[ ] In the previous version of the law, the tackled player's head or shoulders had to hit the ground first for a referee to penalise them. The revised law removes the possibility of a spearing tackle not being penalised if the tackled player breaks their fall with their arms.
Rugby league
The
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
(NRL) competition in Australia awards a
penalty
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
A p ...
for players being lifted beyond the horizontal. A spear tackle where their body is in a vertical position, with their head facing the ground usually results in a send-off. It is often termed a "dangerous throw". Generally, these tackles are also put "on report" meaning that in the coming week the judiciary is forced to review the incident and pursue the matter further if deemed appropriate, although particularly bad examples may be punished by sending the player off, reducing his team to one less player on the field. This term is used throughout the northern and southern hemispheres.
Australian rules football
In the
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL), it is a reportable offence, and players found guilty face the
tribunal
A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title.
For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...
and possible suspension with at least a two match ban.
See also
*
Dump tackle
The dump tackle, also known as dumping, tipping, or a tip tackle is a popular tackling technique used in rugby football. The tackler wraps their arms around the ball carrier's thighs and lifts them a short distance in the air before forcibly drivin ...
- similar to a spear tackle
*
Grapple tackle
A grapple tackle is a controversial tackling technique used in rugby league. It has gained notoriety in Australia's National Rugby League competition whereby the tackler attempts to impede the ball carrier by applying a chokehold-like grip. Altho ...
- another controversial tackling technique
*
High tackle
*
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling are to dispossess an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend.
The word i ...
*
Glossary of rugby league terms
This list of rugby league terms is a general glossary of the terminology used in the sport of rugby league football. The sport has accrued a considerable amount of jargon to describe aspects of the game. Many terms originate from the Laws of the ...
*
Glossary of rugby union terms
Rugby union is a team sport played between two teams of fifteen players.
This is a general glossary of the terminology used in the sport of rugby union. Where words in a sentence are also defined elsewhere in this article, they appear in italics. ...
References
{{Australian rules football terminology
Australian rules football terminology
Rugby league terminology
Rugby union terminology
Banned sports tactics