Rugby is one of Britain’s most popular sports and with the Six Nations just around the corner, national interest in rugby is due to spike. However, in past months there has been great debate about schoolboy rugby and the effect and damage it might have on young people’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Professor Allyson Pollock of the University of Newcastle carried out an investigation into the safety of rugby, particularly at a junior level. In July 2017 she published her findings and they showed a strong link between head injuries, mainly received from collision aspects of the game, and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia. She suggested that measures such as banning tackling in youth rugby should be enforced at a school level.
Her study found that rugby has the highest concussion rate in junior sport at 4.18 concussions per 1,000 athletes. She also stated that when a ban on contact in ice hockey was implemented the concussion rate decreased 67%.
Pollock suggested that a ban on tackling and scrummaging should be enforced in schools up to the age of 18 but children below this age could still partake in full contact rugby at club level.
Professor Pollock has a personal as well as professional interest in this subject due to a serious injury sustained by her son Hamish back in the late 1990s. He sustained a broken cheekbone and was knocked unconscious due to a dangerous tackle made by an opposition player.
The World Rugby Union decided not to put any of Professor Pollock’s plans into action. However, the RFU (rugby governing body in England) put stricter laws on high-tackling into junior rugby as well as giving teams the option to forfeit if the game is too one-sided in an attempt to lower injury rates in rugby across the country.
Many current and former professional rugby players have spoken out against Pollock’s suggestions.
Current England women’s flanker Maggie Alphonsi stated “benefits far outweigh the perceived risks” and former England men’s captain Will Carling suggested implementing the New Zealand system of “organising players into weight categories, not age.”
RFU chairman Andy Cosslett stated that Pollock’s recommendations would negatively impact the safety of junior rugby, claiming that introducing tackling early on allows children to master the skill for when they are older.
There is a school of thought that removing tackling from rugby will completely dissuade current players from playing sport. As we all know sport is vital for the short and long term wellbeing of everyone, particularly young people. Playing rugby at all levels not only increases strength and fitness but also improves the social aspect of people’s lives. Playing rugby in a team develops social skills and belonging to a group is proven to reduce the risk of mental health issues such as depression.
Whatever your stance is on the safety of contact rugby, it is undebatable that more measures should be taken to lower the current injury rate in youth rugby. It is in the best interests of World Rugby and the RFU to act to address serious safety concerns. The ‘headcase’ education initiative relating to concussion has been a big step forward.
Children across the country at rugby playing schools are currently forced to play rugby during PE and games lessons. These children who may have no particular interest or understanding of the game are surely the ones most at risk of sustaining serious injury. As such making rugby an optional sport rather than being compulsory would allow children and parents to make their own decision.
There is plenty of medical evidence showing the dangers of rugby. However, it is matter of personal opinion and experience whether the benefits outweigh the risks or whether rugby is simply too dangerous for children.
