While head clashes in rugby are often a no-fault incident, they happen more often than in the past and at a greater speed and it is only a matter of time before court cases appear regarding some of these clashes.
We are aware of the long-term effects of constant head trauma and as a remedy, I recommend compulsory headgear.
I am envisaging protection that covers the whole head, protecting the skull, forehead and the temples. The design and effectiveness of this should be left to others to decide.
The important part is that it is critical to all players of all ages.
This is not going to be acceptable to many players due to the additional heat they will have to put up with but if the ventilation design is good enough, then the effects of playing on hot days could be acceptable.
Objections may come from those who think that the players will ignore potential head clashes as the headgear will protect them. However, rules regarding high tackles should remain, with the proviso that players ducking into a tackle – no-fault incidents – result in no penalty arising.
I personally suffered a serious injury early on in my playing days, where I was accidentally kicked in the head and went blind for a while. I played out the game but remember nothing of it.
At the end of play, I became disoriented and emotional so I went to hospital for a scan. I did not fracture my skull but since then I get migraines a few times a year – not with headaches, just the distorted vision.
Stricter rule interpretations will not fix the problem of head trauma. The rules are being distorted to encompass a safer game but the result of the changes makes assumptions that players in sub-second real-time will adjust their tackle to ensure there is no contact with the head.
This is a fallacy considering the speed of the game and the reaction time of players.
With reluctance, I suggest it is time for all players to wear head protection.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
this web site states shoulder pads reduce the impact by 70%. of course, nothing will stop concussions (or dislocations, ligament tears etc) short of watching the game from the sidelines instead of playing. But as listed in the article, it may lessen the clash of heads / fracture type of injuries (who hasn’t been sickened when hearing that sound of 2 melons smashing together) https://atroxrugby.com/shoulder-pads-rugby/#:~:text=Shoulder%20pads%20for%20rugby%20are,up%20on%20a%20weekly%20basis.
piru
Roar Rookie
Interesting article on this https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/19/sport/rugby-dementia-concussion-spt-intl/index.html
Jeremy Lord
Roar Rookie
Exactly. Adding helmets to NFL means leading with the head and increased concussions and CTE. Adding boxing gloves lead to prettier ex-boxers with CTE and serious cognitive issues.
piru
Roar Rookie
He came to the Packers as a rookie and ran for 100+yds in his first 3 matches in the NFL I think
mushi
Roar Guru
I think he was also the #3 sprinter and powerlifter for Nebraska as a high school senior. He was a physical beast. But it didn’t feel like an accomplishment! Read the play, beat the block, met him in the back field and I hoped getting tangled in his legs would work… It did not. I’ll admit that I did not try as hard to get past the WR blocking me after that. I went to a sports high school so saw a few professional athletes but gee he was another level
piru
Roar Rookie
I think you did well to even get close enough to be run over by Green mate His Green Bay jersey is actually the only football 'player's' jersey I've ever owned (bought it on sale when he left the Packers to use as a training jersey). My only claim to football fame is getting my bell rung multiple times by Jesse Williams during a training camp when the nationals were over here.
mushi
Roar Guru
Most of my concussions were in the tackle, even then it's not that you deliberately lead it's just you don't protect your head like you would if it didn't have a helmet on. That and Ahman Green literally running me over when he was on a high school all state tour. I tried tackling like rugby but the guys thighs were like an ordinary person's chest.
piru
Roar Rookie
I live at centre and guard (when they'll let me) - funnily enough these days, deliberate / intentional head clashes are quite rare even on the line. In fact if a DL comes at me leading with his head, it's quite easy to redirect him to the ground. Funny how times change.
mushi
Roar Guru
That's progress! I was a skinny guy so no blocking for me unless there was an injury, had to play guard once and the poor QB just got destroyed. He gave me a few sprays in the huddle and I just shrugged and pointed out the Samoan DT I was "blocking" probably has children bigger than me
piru
Roar Rookie
It wasn’t so much about feeling more invincible and riding at a higher risk level. Rather than accepting the type of riding was going to increase the risk profile therefore I would mitigate with more PPE. Yep. I'm wondering now if this phenomenon isn't a result of the ATGATT crowd - I mean if you're always fully loaded for bear, do you ever moderate your risk taking?
piru
Roar Rookie
It's funny the younger kids (ie under 30) now see the old 'head butt' blocking style as something the old men do.
mushi
Roar Guru
Yeah we're at cross purposes I think. To me the helmet facilitates the behaviour though. People aren't going to use their heads as battering rams without the helmet. Like you I played a bit over here. You feel indestructible but I did suffer several concussions.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
So you are suggesting ganja to prevent concussions?
piru
Roar Rookie
Mate I'm going to need more time (and quiet) than I have today to make sense of that (but I will try to find time to read it) - at first glance though it looks like they are concentrating on the after effects, not prevention (Little can be done to treat the mechanical damage that occurs during the primary insult of a TBI) which is what I was talking about.
piru
Roar Rookie
If that’s the case, why did you use a rat study? I didn't 'use a rat study', there are multiple studies on the same link.
piru
Roar Rookie
Agreed, but that's not the helmet causing a concussion, it's behaviour - maybe I'm just being pedantic. I responded above re modern helmets and the work put in to help reduce concussions. They do help, maybe not as much as people think
piru
Roar Rookie
Football helmets have to tread a line between full protection and 'repeatability' I guess? Ie a motorbike helmet provides much better protection, but it's intended to be replaced after taking an impact. The modern Riddell Revolutions are leaps and bounds ahead of the old 'milk crates' I wore when I first started,
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Minz: Over coffee, I had another thought re long term brain damage. I think, over the last 20 years, I have had far more obvious brain damage from anaesthetics than I have ever received from rugby injuries.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Hope so for your sake Carlos. My life has been incredibly easy and a great joy, there have been occasional tough times but I mostly brought them on myself.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
Even though these times are pretty hard (on me), I do look back and realize how lucky I was to be in so many different exciting situations. I do hope to go back and start again to live an interesting life. Times, they are a-changing.