Question Number: 27635

League Specific 7/31/2013

RE: rec Under 14

darrell richards of p, USA asks...

This the first year slide tackles are permitted in our age group. I obviously can't find it in law, but I can find that a slide tackle is not permitted if a trip occurs. I find any trip that occurs as careless, although it is possible it have an accidental trip. A slide tackle is in no way an accidental trip.

Is there any justification in law for a slide tackle other than the status quo which may in fact be a myth? A well preserved myth

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Darrell
A properly executed slide tackle does not result in a foul. The ball is played first and the contact if any is a coming together of players.
Obviously this was a competition rule at levels below Under 14. What is now required is that the slide tackle is evaluated in the same way as any other challenge. If the tackle results in a trip before the ball is played then that is a foul

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Slide tackling is all fine and dandy. What is not allowed is committing a foul in the process of slide tackling - usually a trip. And it often results in a caution for USB for a reckless foul, or a sending off for SFP for use of excessive force.

Many leagues recognize that younger players do not have the skill to properly execute slide tackles, and ban them up to certain ages. In our rec league, U10 and under players are not allowed to slide tackle. Invariably at U12, a player will ask me, 'Can we slide tackle?' I ask back, 'I don't know, CAN you?' Then when we get the can/may grammar lesson out of the way, we have a little chat about whether or not they know how to properly slide tackle. And usually the coach will discourage them from doing so - because if they knew how to properly slide tackle, they would have already known that they could do it, and we wouldn't be having the conversation.