Doctors urge schools to ban tackling in rugby ?

[Midwest]

Rubbish. Nothing can even justify an accident.

 

[YoungScud]

Rugby is a contact sport there WILL be injuries life is one big risk. Just crossing the road is a huge risk. We have to live and take risks (some more than others) Name me a sport or physical activity without risk?

Again, cliches. We don't go around trying to have accidents. We normally look before crossing the road. This isn't the same thing. Injuries in rugby are increasing and severity with them. If you consider the safety of young rugby players a price worth paying, and any changes designed to prevent injuries simply an example of the nanny state, I can only assume you've never saat by a phone waiting to hear if one of your young charges has a serious injury or not. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, eh?

Now, as to risk, of course there is a degree of risk, but we don't just wait for accidents to happen. We take steps to avoid them. Reducing risk is what has led to fewer accidents in the work place. Why not apply that to sport?

 

[Barry White]

Again, cliches. We don't go around trying to have accidents. We normally look before crossing the road. This isn't the same thing. Injuries in rugby are increasing and severity with them. If you consider the safety of young rugby players a price worth paying, and any changes designed to prevent injuries simply an example of the nanny state, I can only assume you've never saat by a phone waiting to hear if one of your young charges has a serious injury or not. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, eh?

Now, as to risk, of course there is a degree of risk, but we don't just wait for accidents to happen. We take steps to avoid them. Reducing risk is what has led to fewer accidents in the work place. Why not apply that to sport?

Being a father and a grandfather to a large family I have many young charges and worry more when they go to the nightclubs than when they played rugby.
Nobody goes into a tackle to get injured and they do look first too. As for looking before crossing the road we are not machines with parameters to fit before we opperate, we glance estimate speed and distance then either walk or run across.
So I will hold by my OPPINION and and respect yours.

 

[firemanowl]

I was born in NZ and played tackle rugby from about 5. The one consistent thing we practiced was tackling technique all through the age groups right up to senior level. I was lucky enough to represent the NZ Army at senior level and on our first training session after fitness tests was tackling practice.

Biggest thing I notice about rugby now days at all levels is poor technique, players not confident tackling off either shoulder. When players at all levels are trying to put the big hit in they seem to revert to their stronger shoulder, get their head in the wrong position and get injured.

Rather than ban tackling the emphasis needs to be on technique and ensure the basics are taught correctly from a young age. Experiencing tackling at 18 for the first time will lead to more injuries as the impacts will be much harder exposing poor technique. At least if kids have had good coaching by qualified experienced coaches from a young age then once they start to bulk up and the impacts get bigger, good technique is already ingrained.

 

[Paul.M]

This is historical, just read the bullet points below from a Rugby League history site:-

1864 - The first rugby clubs formed in Leeds and Huddersfield, followed by Hull (1865), York (1868), followed by hundreds more in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire in the 1870s and 1880s.
1876 - Yorkshire Cup competition started for Yorkshire rugby clubs. Soon it attracts bigger crowds than the FA Cup Final.
1886 - Concerned at the growing dominance of the largely working-class northern clubs, the Rugby Football Union introduces strict amateur rules.
1893 - Yorkshire clubs propose allowing players to be paid six shillings ‘broken-time’payments when they miss work due to matches. RFU vote down proposal. Widespread suspensions of northern clubs and players begin.
1895 - Threatened with expulsion from the RFU if they cannot prove their amateurism, 21 leading Lancashire and Yorkshire clubs meet at the George Hotel, Huddersfield on 29 August 1895. They vote unanimously to form the Northern Rugby Football Union (NU) and allow broken-time payments.


So even in 1886 the money does the talking!!!! Both "religions" of Union and League have taken great steps to ensure that players do not injure each other. But each week throughout all the games played at this high level, a few players pick up a bit more than just a bloody nose or a cut above the eye. School kids should play tag rugby to start off with and then be taught how to tackle correctly so not to harm the other players. It is something that is built up in time and no sportsman or women should receive a life long injury.


I've been to a few hundred RL games and seen a lot of hard tackles, seen a lot of men carried off the pitch on a stretcher. Vast majority were accidental, some wasn't?