i Tackling the jumper in the air . A player must not tackle nor tap , push or pull the foot or feet of an opponent jumping for the ball in a lineout or in open play . It ' s not explicitly stated but you can assume that it does fall under those laws . You need to let them go to ground safely and the referees will always look out for player welfare . If you ' re doing something on the margin of that and it does result in them landing badly then you will be penalised . If you ' re in a position to catch it and it lands into your hands as he comes down back down to ground then you ' ll be fine . I ' ve seen calls where the ref will deem the player wasn ' t in position to catch the ball when the jumper falls into them . It ' s about result rather than intent so I ' d argue it ' s best to err on the side of caution when it comes to safety and wait for them to land before trying to rip .