Mapping the ecology of the tackle event: What shapes how elite rugby union players takle?

Rugby Union is a full contact collision sport, whereby success in the tackle event, is a key marker of match outcome. Moreover, the tackle is associated with the sport's most prevalent injury, concussion. To date, we have little insight into players’ experience of the tackle. Therefore, a series of online focus groups were performed to understand elite male rugby union players’ experiences of collision. Facilitated by a moderator, focus groups were performed with eighteen elite rugby union players across four teams, utilising the Microsoft Teams platform. All players were competing in the Gallagher Premiership during the 2024/ 2025 season. Braun and Clarke's (2019) reflexive thematic analysis was employed. To assist the analysis, Bronfenbrenner′s ecological systems model was applied to illustrate the interlinking systems that influence the tackle event, directly or from afar. Findings generated four key themes: 1) Microsystem – People, Positions and Time Determine the Tackle, 2) Mesosystem – Where Coaching Meets the Process of Tackle Variation, 3) Exosystem – Tackle Contexts in relation to rules, refereeing and the laws of the game, and 4) Macrosystem – Wider Contexts Driving Tackle Experiences. The findings detailed here offer novel insights into the tackle event in elite men's rugby union and an ecological platform for future work.