Rugby tackles to be banned in schools?

Youngsters can be daft about all sorts of activities that they can't even imagine the dangers of. This is where responsible parents and schools come in.

What of the youngsters who play for their local team ? Perhaps it's easier for me to see it from the youngsters view, this is Wales and our schools are rugby crazy, our local school is lucky , they have a now retired rugby player who until recently played for Wales coach them

DS2 played Rugby from the age of 8 until after repeated dislocation of the shoulder, he decided to 'retire' at 22.

He loved and lived for the game, playing club Rugby at a high non professional level and at University. The only serious injuries he sustained were when playing in the school team.

Rugby clubs have strict rules on tackling and the players are taught how to tackle safely. Thus obtaining the ball without injury.

School teams can be made up of players who do not have the training an understanding of professional tacking.

I have spent many hours in A&E after the school matches!
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My son dislocated his knee whilst playing Rugby. He knew what had happened because it had happened to him before. The stupid teacher made him play on, until it became obvious something was very wrong, when he was at last taken to hospital and had a plaster cast put on.

I hate that teacher still. And I hate the stiff upper lip philosophy that goes along with Rugby.

To a degree it is about the correct coaching, but you're not going to get that in the vast majority of schools. It's about the long term effect on the brain of repeated blows to the head.

Touch rugby is very popular now and already played in schools or junior sections of clubs.

DS ended up in A&E after playing rugby at school when he was about 11. Fortunately no harm had been done but the school had been worried enough to call an ambulance. He didn't even like the game - only playing under duress.

It is a truly ghastly "sport." I hate everything about it. I have seen the dreadful injuries whilst working in a head injury service and in an orthopaedic unit - and they are young people in the main whose lives have been wrecked. It should be banned from all schools - it makes a complete joke of "safeguarding", about which there are reams of rules and regs that schools have to abide by......then they send them outside to injure each other - bonkers.

DH who played lots of rugby and adores the game says it's all about good coaching and supervision. I am not sporty but I want our children to play sport at school and not be too protected to build resilience and yes in that sense strength of character. Also learning to play team games with clear rules is good practice for the working world. My view then is good facilities, well maintained, good coaching and supervision and prompt treatment and care of injuries and there will be some it's unavoidable.

Katek I agree that equestrian sport is high risk, but it's not on the school curriculum!!

My son played rugby all through secondary school - it was compulsory. Fortunately he only sustained "get up and play on" injuries. GS (9) played non-contact rugby at school until last year. He gave it up in favour of football because he said it was boring , although he's had his share of nasty knocks playing football. He got a ball in the face recently which made him see stars! DH thinks it's all getting very silly and they should either keep things in context and stop trying to water the game down or ban it altogether, but then he is a Welshman and a lifelong rugby fan. I'm sure if DS had suffered some life affecting injury while playing, he might have a different view.

Schools need to catch up.

Definitely in favour of non-contact version. Even in the professional rugby game there's now strict rules about head injuries because concussion symptoms are not always immediate. In football the Premiership brought in new rules this season for players who get head injuries in the pitch.

If you haven't seen Will Smith's latest film Concussion about the doctor who identified the problem with head injuries in American football and the battle he faced to get the game to listen, then believe me it's an eyeopener.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is basically about the brain being shaken inside the skull - and helmets make it worse. It happens mainly in contact sports and it's backed up by clinical evidence.

Both my grandsons played, I hated the thought of it, but the whole family is rugby mad. Unlike football, what you do in rugby affects the whole team so you play by the rules or you penalise your teammates and upset your supporters, they take the game very seriously. Plus unlike football when a player gets an injury and is writhing around on the pitch one minute, has a sponge on his face and jumps back up to play, unless of course it is really serious and he is taken off, in rugby they wait until their leg is hanging off.

As I understand it, equestrian sports are actually more dangerous than rugby.

I panicked every time my grandson played , but I still think it depends on the ages , under elevens don't do tackles anyway

I saw that on the news, and was talking to husband about it at breakfast. He played rugby league from being about 11, until his 20s.
He said young boys played "touch" rugby at first, then went on to just holding the person with the ball. Eventually tackles.
But in League the other players don't all pile on top of the person with the ball so it's safer. We watch a lot of rugby, and it does worry me when players get injured - Union is worse for that.
In our part of France rugby is very popular , mostly Union, and they have different age groups from 5-6 onwards. I don't know what tackling rules they have though.

It seems incredible to me that such potentially dangerous practices are allowed in school sport. My nephew had a broken neck after one rugby match. Fortunately he was OK but, as it is on his medical records, he was not accepted by the armed forces or the police due to this. Poor young man spent many years trying to find a job and all because of a preventable school sporting accident.
A young friend was very upset when he accidentally broke both legs of a 13 year old opponent -not as upset as the poor victim of course! I'm sure we all know or have heard of at least one person now in a wheelchair due to a scrum collapsing.

non contact isn't really rugby though ,rather like playing cricket with a soft ball . Any figures on the number of children injured ?

Rugby at school should never be anything other than non contact, there should be no choice. They are far too young to sustain these sometimes devastating injuries.

So difficult, depending on the age of the child, at 15 if they want to play rugby they need to tackle , so I would like it to be a choice not compulsory as it is now .

I hate children playing Rugby with a vengeance. Nasty rough game. Let them all play a decent game of football.

Cari what are your views on Mothers Day? You are very welcome to comment on my thread. (something about being a bit miffed)

Quite right too. Dreadful game toforce youngsters to participate in. Really dangerous.

I certainly thing tackling in rugby can cause injury and I for one would have no problem with them banning tackling at schools.

Since when did rugby form character - what nonsense.

Tricky. It's one of those things where I'd instinctively say, let the kids play, everything has risks attached.

BUT, if I think about it personally...I'd prefer for my grandchildren to be safe and if that means they're wrapped in cotton wool then so be it...