Rising Australian rugby star Treyon Pritchard is facing months on the sideline after an apparent hip-drop tackle left the young talent with horrific leg injuries while playing for the Junior Wallabies at the Junior World Championship.
Pritchard was left screaming in agony after Wales halfback Sion Davies dragged the 19-year-old down from behind, resting his full body weight on Pritchard's lower leg. It resulted in a broken right fibular and a syndesmosis injury. The young star is set to undergo surgery upon his return from Georgia on Thursday.
Hip-drop tackles have been banned from the NRL and NFL for several years, however rugby has no set laws prohibiting the action. World Rugby's law 9.13 states "a player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously" with the sporting body leaving it to referees' discretion to determine if the hip-drop tackle falls under those parameters. Irish referee Robbie Jenkinson did not penalise Davies for the incident.
New Zealand Rugby have encouraged referees to implement this law in the community game to reduce the risk to ball carriers.
Queensland Reds general manager Sam Cordingley has called on World Rugby to crack down on the dangerous tackle as he battles to keep the young star in the game.
Pritchard had previously been enjoying a breakout season for the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby Pacific and was the headline act for the Junior Wallabies, scoring twice in the tournament, against Fiji and France, and is currently in discussions with Rugby Australia to extend his contract beyond 2027.
Hoping for a quick recovery for Treyvon Pritchard. Looked nasty. https://t.co/tZBiR2o5Ne pic.twitter.com/BnWYHqWKJg
— Steve Lenthall (@steve_l15) July 12, 2026
He is also in the sights of the NRL and the PNG Chiefs and the Sydney Roosters.
"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 told Sydney Morning Herald.
"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."
Pritchard is expected to spend several months on the sideline with syndesmosis surgery typically requiring a three-to-six-month recovery. Extended time on the sideline will likely rule out any chance of the rising star earning a call-up into the Wallabies Nations Championship squad for the end of year.
Junior Wallabies teammate Chayse Geros suffered a similar syndesmosis injury earlier in the tournament, playing against Spain in their second match, through a hip-drop tackle.
Wallabies wing Max Jorgensen was at risk of missing the British and Irish Lions series in 2025 after he suffered a syndesmosis injury through a hip-drop tackle playing for the Waratahs against the Hurricanes. He underwent surgery and recovered in time for the Wallabies opening Test against Fiji.
The latest surge in injuries has brought hip-drop tackles starkly into the spotlight and reignited the debate of an out-and-out ban of the tackle.