Queensland Reds general manager Sam Cordingley has called on World Rugby to crack down on hip-drop tackles as it emerged the Roosters have joined the cross-code race to sign outstanding young Reds star Treyvon Pritchard.
Pritchard suffered a broken ankle and syndesmosis when subjected to a dangerous hip-drop-style tackle in the Junior Wallabies’ loss to Wales at the Under-20s World Championship in Georgia on Monday night (AEST).
Pritchard is due to fly back into Brisbane on Thursday and undergo surgery, which will sideline him for several months and potentially scuttle any call-up this year for the Wallabies and/or Australia A.
The highly talented 19-year-old will have plenty of time to contemplate his future, having been the subject of frenzied recruitment pitches from several NRL clubs and Rugby Australia-Queensland for his services after his Reds deal expires in 2027.
As revealed by this masthead in May, the PNG Chiefs made offers to Pritchard and his brother Kadin about joining the expansion franchise in their debut season in 2028. But several other league clubs have also been in the hunt and the Roosters recently made a big offer to Pritchard for 2028, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.
The Roosters struck gold with the recruitment of Mark Nawaqanitawase in 2024, and have a rugby-rich environment, including former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, who is an assistant to Trent Robinson. They are well aware of the generational talent of Pritchard.
RA and Queensland have confidence Pritchard will extend his contract in rugby, however, after tabling a strong multi-year offer that also includes the carrot of playing sevens at the LA Olympics in 2028, according to informed sources.
Before suffering his ankle injury, Pritchard showed for the Junior Wallabies in Georgia why he is the subject of so much hype, and cross-code interest. Playing alongside Zach Fittler in the centres, the teenager was outstanding in four games, beating 25 defenders and running for 350 metres.
Pritchard made his debut for the Reds this season, in his first year out of school, and played 12 games, mostly off the bench and on the wing. But the Reds have earmarked Pritchard as a long-term fullback, with veteran Jock Campbell to move to Japan next year, and with midfielder Izzy Perese also joining the club.
Cordingley, the former Wallabies halfback who has guided Pritchard through the Reds’ system, is among a number in Australian rugby concerned about the prevalence of serious injuries being caused by hip-drop tackles.
Max Jorgensen and Lachie Lonergan both required ankle surgery after hip-drop tackles in recent seasons.
Unlike in the NRL and the NFL, hip-drop tackles are not specifically outlawed in rugby. They fall under the broader banner of foul play and dangerous tackles (law 9.13), but Cordingley believes there is not enough specific language in the law about the dangers of a tackler swinging around the hips and bringing their body weight on the back of an attacker’s legs.
“World Rugby and competitions around the world are doing really good stuff around the head contact protocols – HIA, the sternum height tackle height and so on,” Cordingley said.
“But get to the heart of the issue, law 9.13 contemplates dangerous tackles and being early or late etc, but it does specifically talk more to head contact and tackle height.
“From our perspective, it’s certainly appropriate for World Rugby, within that framework, to call out this particular tackle technique within that law. One of the big reasons for that is just the severity of impact with this particular injury. The resulting injuries are anywhere between a six-week lay-off to potentially career-altering injuries. We’re talking fractures, syndesmosis, tightrope surgery and those kinds of things.
“Anecdotally for us, we’re seeing two to three of these tackles a year, with extended lay-offs, for Reds contracted players. We are also seeing a greater prevalence in community and pathways programs.”
New Zealand Rugby explicitly outlaws the hip-drop tackle in community rugby due to the high risk of severe lower-limb injuries. Referees are actively encouraged to penalise these actions under World Rugby’s dangerous tackle laws.
World Rugby’s laws do prohibit players dropping their weight on a rival’s lower limbs, but that is only mentioned in relation to rucks and mauls, not tackles.
World Rugby has been contacted for comment.
Cordingley said the hip-drop tackle is “a risk to all players”.
“I certainly don’t want to have a shot at the referee, but the fact is that the law in its current state doesn’t call it out, and that would be evidenced by the referee’s response to the Trayvon injury,” he said.
“There wasn’t even any contemplation of whether there was a dangerous situation. They’re not really looking for it.”
Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
