Row Brews Over Whether Contact Rugby Should Be Banned In Schools

A row has erupted over whether contact rugby should be banned in schools after a group of more than 70 doctors wrote a letter calling for the government to remove the sport from school. The letter, addressed to ministers, chief medical officers and commissioners and published on Wednesday, said students should play touch rugby as tackling and scrums pose a risk of injury. Fractures, concussions, spinal and head injuries are among the consequences of under-18s playing the contact sport, with the health experts saying the conditions can have "short-term, life-long, and life-ending consequences for children".

"The majority of all injuries occur during contact or collision, such as the tackle and the scrum," the letter read. "A link has been found between repeat concussions and cognitive impairment and an association with depression, memory loss and diminished verbal abilities, as well as longer term problems. "Children take longer to recover to normal levels on measures of memory, reaction speed and post-concussive symptoms than adults." But rugby professionals, including England player James Haskell, have rejected the calls for the ban.

"Any physical activity brings with it risks," wrote Haskell in a blog for HuffPost UK. "Rugby is one of the very few sports in the modern era that has managed to retain its core values; working as a team, respecting the referee, the opposition and leaving everything on the pitch..
"Now apparently all this needs to abandoned and replaced with a totally sanitised version of the game, which will inevitably lead in the long term, to its demise.. "Rather than just ban everything, can't we seek a sensible middle ground solution, which is look at the causes rather than just the outcomes?"

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/03/02/should-contact-rugby-should-be-banned-in-schools-doctors-say-yes_n_9366780.html?utm_hp_ref=uk



Agree with James haskell, they should look for causes and not to simple ban. Talk about taking away one of the most important aspects of the game, "getting stuck in". Its about overcoming fears, which is a fundamental help in to many men and women growing up learning to grow confidence.

I have already posted this topic.

Sorry was not aware stormee