rugby tackle
noun
- (in rugby) an act of seizing and attempting to stop an opposing player in possession of the ball by bringing them to the ground: he performed a textbook rugby tackle during the match
- (in general use) an act of seizing a person, typically by the legs or lower body, and bringing them to the ground: I fall heavily, poleaxed, slam-dunked on to the turf by a hefty copper’s high-velocity rugby tackle