Rugby news: Richard Cockerill on the move, Toulouse docked points, tackle height lowered

Richard Cockerill steps down as Georgia coach

Richard Cockerill, the former England hooker and Edinburgh head coach, has stepped down as head coach of Georgia.

Cockerill, 55, was appointed in January 2024 but resigned on Monday, saying he did not share the same vision as Davit Kacharava, the president of the Georgian rugby union.

He will also leave his role as coach of the Black Lion franchise which is based in Tbilisi and plays in the EPCR Challenge Cup.

“I would like to thank the Georgian Rugby Union for the honour of being the head coach of the Georgian national team and the franchise, the ‘Black Lions’, for two years. Ioseb Tkemaladze, the former president of the Georgian Rugby Union, invited me and I personally thank him for this opportunity,” said Cockerill, who was at the helm of Edinburgh from 2017-21.

“In April 2025, Davit Kacharava became the new president of the Georgian Football Federation. He has a different vision for the development of the Georgian national team and I respect his decision. I personally wish him and his team success in their future endeavours.”

Toulouse docked points and knocked off top spot

French champions Toulouse have been docked two points in the Top 14 over irregularities around the transfer of Melvyn Jaminet from Perpignan in 2022.

The 450,000 euro deal was investigated by the French national league (LNR) due to a breach of the Top 14 salary cap and Toulouse attended a disciplinary hearing last week.

The verdict was announced on Monday, with the club deducted two points with immediate effect, with a further two-point deduction suspended. The were also fined 45,000 euro, of which 15,000 euro are suspended.

The points deduction means Toulouse drop down to second place in the Top 14, with Pau replacing them in first.

The Jaminet saga has hung over Toulouse for months and the club have already paid 1.3 million euro to the LNR as a settlement in March.

The full-back has since left Toulouse, joining Toulon in 2023, and played against Edinburgh last week.

Toulouse have seven days to appeal the decision.

Tackle height lowered in trial

A lower tackle height is to be introduced at elite level for the first time at next summer’s World Rugby U20 Championship.

The tournament, which is to be held in Georgia, will be used to trial the new law following successful testing in the community game.

World Rugby, the game’s governing body, says that trials over the last two seasons involving 11 unions around the world have shown that a lower legal tackle height has changed player behaviour and some unions have reported a reduction in in concussion rates, albeit over a single season to date.

Under the trial, the legal tackle height will be set at the sternum, mirroring the law that has already been tested extensively in the community game.

“Following the findings from the community game of up to a 10 per cent reduction in the number of upright tackles, the World Rugby Executive Board took the decision to recommend to Council that those opt-in trials become full law at community level from July 2026,” said World Rugby in a statement. “World Rugby can now also announce that it has approved the request from unions to expand the trial into a closed trial at the elite rugby level.”