I haven't seen this story - there are mixed teams for 'tag' rugby which is popular as a family & 'pick up' game, and is played by the younger children. Obviously that's 'no contact'.
And welbeck - I agree that rugby needs a big re-think; not least that parents will simply vote with their feet. I think that 'tag' rugby is a useful part of this debate.
I have no axe to grind with any sport, but from my own children and GCs, I see rugby as a much more inclusive and open sport than football, which is expensive and super-competitive at very young age. One of my GCs - like me, a rather clunky kid in a sporty family, loves rugby where he is part of the team and gets on the pitch at every fixture. He has been rejected by almost every football team he has tried for, and is now on the sidelines at the only one that would take him (he is 8!). He pays the same every week as for a whole season of rugby. We would all quite like him to stop football, but they live in an area where the kids talk more about football than rugby.