Rugby and the Seahawks

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Seattle stand on the cusp of back-to-back Super Bowl crowns, and their success is due in no small part to rugby's tackling technique.

Widely regarded as having the best defence in the NFL, known as "The Legion of Boom", head coach Pete Carroll has turned the Seahawks into a fearsome tackling unit by adopting rugby's technique. Carroll's initial rugby investigations, however, were about safety as much as they were building a ferocious defensive unit.

"Rugby players take the head out of the game," Carroll said. "We practice this without helmets, without pads...we've been a pretty good tackling group. I don't know how you measure that, but I feel it's crucial to our style of play. This style of tackling doesn't call for the head to be involved. It's right in line with the evolution of the game. The league has recognised that, too. I thought it was worth putting out there. And the feedback we've received has been tremendous."

Carroll and the Seahawks even put out a video demonstrating their rugby tackling technique; the coach wanted to show how the game could be "played safely at a high level".

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