France's Maxime Mermoz, left, is tackled by Wynand Olivier, center, and Heinrich Brussow of South Africa during their international rugby union match in Toulouse, southwestern France, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
There’s a movement under way, amongst coaches and sports-care professionals around the rugby world, to change the laws to reduce the kind of injuries that are not only taking a toll on the players, but on the game itself.
The IRB honchos remind me of the bible-thumping General Haig who, in 1914–18, sent wave after wave of men over the top into a hail of machine gun bullets and didn’t care a fig about the human carnage.
The IRB is aware of the injuries that keep piling up in rugby, but do absolutely nothing to assuage them for the same reason as Haig didn’t care about his troops – the IRB members are in no danger of getting hurt.
They’re safe at battalion headquarters.
Recently, a British team doctor checked the records and found that in this year’s Six Nations Scotland Vs England game the players were over six kilos heavier per man than in the same fixture 20 years before.
Players, specially forwards, have bulked up to such a degree, what with modern training methods, diet, and a pharmaceutical assist in some cases, that collisions can be far more harmful now than they were years ago.
No gym in the world can improve the thickness of a skull that protects a brain.
And a gallon of milk and daily calcium supplements can’t do much about protecting knees or hips or shoulders which were never designed to absorb any kind of severe contact.
It’s not about being paid big bucks for not being a sissy.
It’s about doing something to help players stay healthy and be available for club and international games. It’s about getting rid of the clearout for one thing, which was always a mean and stupid idea. It’s tough enough having to stop charging, pick-and-drive forwards or tackling a hefty centre running at speed.
They’ll always be injuries in a contact sport, but they could be cut way down in rugby by rescinding some of the more obvious absurdities.
Nothing will be done now because laws for the 2011 RWC are engraved in stone, but with such a huge concentration of players going flat out for their country over a relatively short period of time, don’t be surprised if squads start being decimated.
If General Haig’s shade is in the stands, I’m sure it will just shrug its ghostly shoulders and murmur something about the necessity of breaking eggs to make an omelette.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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