School rugby 'too dangerous'

First topic message reminder :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32383607

A government drive to boost participation in rugby in English schools is ill-conceived and risks children getting seriously hurt, public health doctors have warned.

Prof Allyson Pollock and colleagues at Queen Mary University of London say the contact sport is too dangerous.

I despair for the world we live in.

Perhaps there is another aspect to this debate we haven't considered.

As we know we have become (UK) increasing litigious. If there is any room for the legal fraternity to make hey from school sports injuries to children you can be sure they will take it.

The effect this may have on school sports could be huge.

To be honest I am surprised there is still after school sports in this country as I was under the impression that most teachers did not want the additional responsibility or risk of being taken to court.

Having said that, I do not ever recall such a case.

The debate is turning nasty, and there is no reason for that.

I do think school sport should be optional and not forced - children do not need formal sports to be active. Personally I was happy just kicking a ball, any ball, against a wall for hours on end, but hated being told to play rugby, cricket, and even with football only really liked playing it with my friends but loathed competitive games etc.

The risks are well documented and perfectly valid. The problem with school rugby is when you have more grown up kids running and tackling the slower developers. Everyone in school knew the best way of not ending up in hospital was to let the 13 year old who's going on 27 to just have the ball. Character building is all well and good if it's similarly developed kids tackling and running into each other.

emack2 wrote:Is this a case of stats being mis quoted,in NZ stats state children are 4 times more likely to be injured in the home
than playing Rugby.
In NZ Mini,and Schoolboy Rugby are to some extent ruled by size/weight rather than just age,and non contact is the
norm till about 11/12.
Mini rugby mixed sexes starts officially at 7 but many 5 or 6 year olds are involved in practice,they are often
coached by Provincial or even Al lBlack relatives.
I`m afraid of heights but when I was 10/11 climbed up and down the local cliffs with friends without thinking
about it.

Kids play rugby from 3-4 onwards. Most don't start until 5 or older. The first few years involve ripper rugby (velcro tags attached at the hips played on 1/4 fields with an emphasis on running, tackling and passing. Kids start tackling at about 7. At about this age kids are separated on the basis of size. Scrums don't involve pushing and there is no lifting in the lineouts. Initially games are shorter than adult games played on a half field, By the time they are 11-12 they are playing on full fields for an hour.

The key reason for the size requirements was the increase in the Samoan and Tongan populations in NZ. They grow much bigger earlier. A kid I know played against a visiting Argentinian u19 team last week. He's just turned 16 and is 6ft3 and 19 stone. In general the wellington junior competition is dominated by the teams with large % Islanders. Team's with a European base struggle with size (My sons in the 99 percentile, ie he's big, and is dwarfed by some of these kids (imagine 12 year olds as big and heavy as international loose forwards).