dementia and rugby 18:52 - Dec 8 with 1289 views | britferry | Wow, this could be explosive: Wales rugby star Alix Popham to sue WRU as he reveals heartbreaking dementia diagnosis that will rock the game. The 41-year-old has revealed he has been diagnosed with early onset dementia as he joins what could be a landmark legal case against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union in England and the Welsh Rugby Union https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/wales-rugby-star-alix-popha | |
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dementia and rugby on 19:13 - Dec 8 with 1271 views | Catullus |
I have every sympathy but if the rugby authorities followed every health and safety rule of the time then who's fault is it? It's not fugby's fault that medical experts didn't know back then what they know now. | |
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dementia and rugby on 19:23 - Dec 8 with 1262 views | Wingstandwood | I've passed comment a few times on here about how the game of rugby as evolved regarding training and sports science advancement along with modern rugby's greater emphasis for a hard-tackling playing style. Players have been turned into human battering rams whereupon physical prowess has been optimised to the max. Players have courtesy of weight training regimes, speed training, plyometrics/muscle fiber recruitment and pharmaceuticals become a serious risk to both themselves and others. They deserve every penny they earn! | |
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dementia and rugby on 20:19 - Dec 8 with 1219 views | MrSwerve | Scrum caps will be compulsory soon. | |
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dementia and rugby on 21:11 - Dec 8 with 1196 views | Catullus |
dementia and rugby on 19:23 - Dec 8 by Wingstandwood | I've passed comment a few times on here about how the game of rugby as evolved regarding training and sports science advancement along with modern rugby's greater emphasis for a hard-tackling playing style. Players have been turned into human battering rams whereupon physical prowess has been optimised to the max. Players have courtesy of weight training regimes, speed training, plyometrics/muscle fiber recruitment and pharmaceuticals become a serious risk to both themselves and others. They deserve every penny they earn! |
Those are very good observations, maybe the time is right for a return to more skill based rugby. All these human battering rams are doing is causing serious long term health problems. Plus, being an older bloke, I think rugby was much more entertaining in the 70's!! | |
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dementia and rugby on 21:27 - Dec 8 with 1190 views | Wingstandwood |
dementia and rugby on 21:11 - Dec 8 by Catullus | Those are very good observations, maybe the time is right for a return to more skill based rugby. All these human battering rams are doing is causing serious long term health problems. Plus, being an older bloke, I think rugby was much more entertaining in the 70's!! |
It truly was far more entertaining in the 1970'a give me a side stepping Phil Bennet before crash-bang-wallop, crash-bang-wallop, crash-bang-wallop. It's staggering to think that there are now wingers playing rugby whom are around 20 stone in weight. Here is one who weighs in at TWENTY STONE AND ELEVEN POUNDS. Talk about serious impact. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taqele_Naiyaravoro | |
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dementia and rugby on 09:23 - Dec 10 with 1055 views | controversial_jack |
dementia and rugby on 20:19 - Dec 8 by MrSwerve | Scrum caps will be compulsory soon. |
They won't prevent injuries to the brain | | | |
dementia and rugby on 09:46 - Dec 10 with 1044 views | britferry |
dementia and rugby on 09:23 - Dec 10 by controversial_jack | They won't prevent injuries to the brain |
correct, they've got a bigger problem in American Football and look at the helmets they all wear, from high school to the NFL... its when the head takes a hit, the brain wobbles like hell, regardless of what you are wearing | |
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dementia and rugby on 10:11 - Dec 10 with 1037 views | NotLoyal |
dementia and rugby on 09:23 - Dec 10 by controversial_jack | They won't prevent injuries to the brain |
Taking the rugby bosses to court for cash won’t solve anything either, how was the WRU etc to know this years and years ago. | |
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dementia and rugby on 10:45 - Dec 10 with 1023 views | TrefynwySwan |
dementia and rugby on 20:19 - Dec 8 by MrSwerve | Scrum caps will be compulsory soon. |
As a coach of mini and junior rugby my personal view is that scrum caps give the kids a false sense of security. Too many times have I seen kids put one on and then think they are invincible, charging head down into contact. They undoubtedly protect against minor, superficial cuts and bruises but as has been correctly stated, they don’t prevent the jolt to the brain from a high impact collision. Education and awareness for coaches, parents and kids around concussion protocols is the priority. Some great progress has been made in this area in my experience. There is also the bigger picture about what we want the game to look like in the future? A high contact game played only by giants or the more attractive, expansive style of evasion and skill open to all shapes and sizes? | | | |
dementia and rugby on 11:00 - Dec 10 with 1013 views | Joe_bradshaw |
dementia and rugby on 10:45 - Dec 10 by TrefynwySwan | As a coach of mini and junior rugby my personal view is that scrum caps give the kids a false sense of security. Too many times have I seen kids put one on and then think they are invincible, charging head down into contact. They undoubtedly protect against minor, superficial cuts and bruises but as has been correctly stated, they don’t prevent the jolt to the brain from a high impact collision. Education and awareness for coaches, parents and kids around concussion protocols is the priority. Some great progress has been made in this area in my experience. There is also the bigger picture about what we want the game to look like in the future? A high contact game played only by giants or the more attractive, expansive style of evasion and skill open to all shapes and sizes? |
Good points. I think that rugby union fears losing its identity. A high contact game played by giants could become a hybrid of American football and the more attractive, expansive game could become a hybrid of rugby league. | |
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dementia and rugby on 17:10 - Dec 10 with 959 views | Catullus |
dementia and rugby on 09:46 - Dec 10 by britferry | correct, they've got a bigger problem in American Football and look at the helmets they all wear, from high school to the NFL... its when the head takes a hit, the brain wobbles like hell, regardless of what you are wearing |
Didn't the rugby stop players wearing protective gear (should I call it body armour?) because it proved to cause more injuries as players, who assumed they were more protected, got reckless? Are we heading for a time when contact sports are going to become minimal contact? Football is nearly there and how long before heading the ball is stopped but Rugby, how can rugby exist if they stop scrums, rucks and mauls and tackling? Don't get too tired tonight and be careful how hard your head hits the pillow! | |
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dementia and rugby on 17:53 - Dec 10 with 947 views | Highjack | Same issue as the footballers heading the ball, most of the damage will be done in training. You might only head the ball a few times in a game but in training they do drills where they jump and head the ball repeatedly for half hour+. There was an ex England player who has been affected by this who said in one session they weren’t setting the scrum up right so the coach made them do it repeatedly for the entire session, resulting in lots of bangs to the head and strain on the neck. | |
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dementia and rugby on 18:49 - Dec 10 with 927 views | DwightYorkeSuperstar | It is already difficult for local youth rugby sides to attract players. This will only get worse as the dreadful consequences awaiting rugby players later in life become mainstream knowledge, causing parents to forbid their children from playing the sport. We see it happening in America, where other sports are seeing surges in youth participation as parents forbid their children from playing (American) football. Hopefully every Welsh player who has suffered brain injuries sues the WRU. | |
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dementia and rugby on 19:05 - Dec 10 with 916 views | Catullus |
dementia and rugby on 18:49 - Dec 10 by DwightYorkeSuperstar | It is already difficult for local youth rugby sides to attract players. This will only get worse as the dreadful consequences awaiting rugby players later in life become mainstream knowledge, causing parents to forbid their children from playing the sport. We see it happening in America, where other sports are seeing surges in youth participation as parents forbid their children from playing (American) football. Hopefully every Welsh player who has suffered brain injuries sues the WRU. |
To be sued surely you have to be in the wrong. Are you saying the WRU knew about this and did nothing? If that is the case they deserve taking for every penny but if they didn't know and followed all the current medical rules of the time then how are they culpable? If this happens and the players win there could be a lot of sports clubs at all levels (including football) looking nervously over their shoulders. It could shut down entire leagues. | |
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dementia and rugby on 19:10 - Dec 10 with 915 views | DwightYorkeSuperstar |
dementia and rugby on 19:05 - Dec 10 by Catullus | To be sued surely you have to be in the wrong. Are you saying the WRU knew about this and did nothing? If that is the case they deserve taking for every penny but if they didn't know and followed all the current medical rules of the time then how are they culpable? If this happens and the players win there could be a lot of sports clubs at all levels (including football) looking nervously over their shoulders. It could shut down entire leagues. |
Did they know 20 years ago? Probably not. Have they known for the past decade? Absolutely. It was back in 2012 when the NFL class action lawsuit was raised. What have the WRU done since then to warn parents and their children about the huge risks that playing a sport which guarantees numerous bumps to the head per match carries? I can go and sign up for my local rugby team tomorrow and nobody would warn me about the dangers. We have seen the F.A adapt, banning heading of the ball by children in vulnerable age groups. What have rugby governing bodies done? | |
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dementia and rugby on 19:18 - Dec 10 with 909 views | Catullus |
dementia and rugby on 19:10 - Dec 10 by DwightYorkeSuperstar | Did they know 20 years ago? Probably not. Have they known for the past decade? Absolutely. It was back in 2012 when the NFL class action lawsuit was raised. What have the WRU done since then to warn parents and their children about the huge risks that playing a sport which guarantees numerous bumps to the head per match carries? I can go and sign up for my local rugby team tomorrow and nobody would warn me about the dangers. We have seen the F.A adapt, banning heading of the ball by children in vulnerable age groups. What have rugby governing bodies done? |
The rugby have stricter rules around head injuries and concussion than football. It seems to me though they only really push these rules in matches. Training seems to slip under the radar. | |
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dementia and rugby on 19:47 - Dec 10 with 885 views | trampie |
dementia and rugby on 19:10 - Dec 10 by DwightYorkeSuperstar | Did they know 20 years ago? Probably not. Have they known for the past decade? Absolutely. It was back in 2012 when the NFL class action lawsuit was raised. What have the WRU done since then to warn parents and their children about the huge risks that playing a sport which guarantees numerous bumps to the head per match carries? I can go and sign up for my local rugby team tomorrow and nobody would warn me about the dangers. We have seen the F.A adapt, banning heading of the ball by children in vulnerable age groups. What have rugby governing bodies done? |
Rugby seems to me to be more advanced than football in this aspect. Tag rugby for young children, then tackle below the waist as they get older, then no hand offs etc etc and so on. Small pitch, short match time, not 15 a side, rolling subs, building up as they get older to full size pitch, match time and team numbers. | |
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