A couple of events in the past week or so have caused me to reflect upon and refute the recent open letter from the Sport Collision Injury Collective – not all of whom were arguing from a medical perspective – advocating a ban of contact rugby in schools.
Last week, I was pleased to attend with our Director of Sport, Mr Hogarth, the Sport Newcastle annual awards dinner. Ruaridh Dawson, who completed his schooling at NSB last summer, was nominated as one of Sport Newcastle’s rising stars. Called into the Scotland Under 20 squad that day, Ruaridh was unable to collect his prize in person. This made him a dual international having last season represented England Counties at Under 18 level.
Mr Hogarth, the coach who did so much to develop Ruaridh’s ability as a scrum half to a level where he has been able to secure a professional playing contract with Newcastle Falcons, was rightly proud to pick up the award on behalf of his protege. You can watch Ruaridh’s nomination here
Away from school, I enjoyed travelling up to Murrayfield last weekend to watch the Six Nations game between Scotland and France. A rare Scottish win handed the championship to England.
These events highlighted just some of the many positive aspects rugby offers. The opportunity for a player to be the best he can be. With talent, dedication and good coaching realising the opportunity to play professional and international sport. And for the spectator – the warm, respectful and good-humoured connection across nations that I saw in and around Murrayfield. That same unifying spirit that the School’s senior rugby players enjoyed whilst touring South Africa last summer.
However, despite their worth, not all of these benefits make playing rugby safe and nobody would deny that should be a priority – particularly for our young players.
Much is being done to support the safety and development of young players. The introduction of a new RFU age grade framework for players aged six to 18 puts player development at its centre. It allows players to get to grips with the basics before contact is gradually and safely introduced. It creates a consistent national approach to schools, colleges, club and representative rugby and promotes the Rugbysafe programme covering all aspects of the game.
Considerable progress in the detection and response to injury has been made in recent years. Concussion protocols are, in my experience, applied scrupulously in schoolboy rugby and at professional clubs. As a school, we regularly review our procedures and routines to ensure that all of our players – whatever their standard – enjoy and progress their rugby as safely as possible.
Rugby, like life, can never be entirely free of risk. That’s not to say we don’t have a duty to minimise those risks. Is it time to consider the weight restrictions that apply in some New Zealand schoolboy competitions? Weight criteria require players under or over a given weight to move down or up an age grade to facilitate playing with similar sized players. There must be worse models to look to than those of the nation that produces the All Blacks and develops its many young players to play with skill ahead of physique.
However, simply to ban contact rugby in schools would throw out the baby with the bathwater. It would destroy the national game and deny thousands of children and adults enjoyment and opportunity. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be continuing to do everything we reasonably can to protect our players.
High quality coaching, officiating, medical support and player conduct in line with the RFU’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship all make a valuable contribution to reducing the risk of injury at the same time as creating valuable opportunities and enjoyment for young people.
This Saturday evening, 19th March, from 7.00pm, Newcastle School for Boys will be showing the France v English Six Nations fixture on the big screen at The Grove as a fundraiser for the School’s senior cricket tour to India in 2017.