Just before the Scotland match in the Six Nations event, Ireland’s team unveiling revealed the inclusion of Calvin Nash, who’d only five days ago failed a cranial trauma examination. Although Nash was still chosen due to passing the standard selection measurements, many distinguished figures within the rugby community, physicians included, express a strong belief that the allowed seven-day recovery period before returning to play isn’t long enough.
In the meantime, English player Immanuel Feyi-Waboso personally reported his own symptoms relating to brain injuries, thus ruling himself out of their concluding game.
Unaddressed is the issue of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a serious, degenerative brain disorder only diagnosable posthumously via autopsy, which extends beyond mere concussion to include repeated instances of head trauma. Boston University’s CTE Centre is led by the expert, Dr Ann McKee, and the revelations from her team are sobering.
Last year, post-mortem examinations of the brains of 152 donors, all of whom were between the tender ages of 13 and 30, were carried out at the centre. Although most were American football players, other high contact sports, including rugby, boxing, and ice hockey, were also represented, with both professional and amateur players among the deceased.
The discoveries indicated that 63 – a striking 41% – of the subjects were suffering from early onset CTE. “This underlines that the disease kicks in early. Over 40% of youthful collision and contact sports athletes in the brain archive having CTE is astonishing– considering community brain archives display less than 1% of the general populace with CTE,” stated Dr McKee.
In no time, additional reports regarding the legal actions of retired players battling dementia and likely CTE will emerge.
The personal cost of brain diseases cannot be overstated. A heartrending example is the suicide of Billy Guyton, a former player for the Maori team, at just 33 years old. His father recently discussed his severe symptoms. Clear indicators of CTE were found in the post-mortem examination of Guyton’s brain.
We must remember Siobhan Cattigan, a young player in the Scotland team, who tragically died age 26. Also, we should acknowledge that four young French players also lost their lives to rugby-related injuries recently.
Seeing young children engaging in a game of rugby can be delightful for many, as it’s not just a sport but a part of their formative growth into adulthood. The game can be beneficial throughout one’s life, fostering joy, camaraderie, and good health. However, deciding whether to involve their kids into rugby or not can pose a considerable predicament for parents. This is primarily due to the stark confrontations that have been a routine part of professional rugby, often leading to head injuries. Apprehensively, these severe physical aspects of the sport have filtered down to school and club levels.
Foremost in this issue, what has been the proactive response of the World Rugby governing body? Insights from their recent ‘Shape of the Game’ discussions reveal an inclination toward improving the entertainment aspect of the game rather than strictly focusing on safety. The term ‘safety and player welfare’ seem to be overshadowed by the focus on delivering a superior live viewing experience rather than making safety an uncompromising priority.
It’s expected that World Rugby Council will evaluate suggestions from their newly established expert panels in upcoming May discussions. These discussions may tackle contentious topics like the ’20-minute red card replacement’ rule, possibly urging stricter sanctions for rule violators. It’s crucial that the gravity of such discussions should remain within a scope where the tackler had limited time to rethink the strategy, for instance, citing instances like Sam Cane from New Zealand in the World Cup final. Permitting a player replacement for ruthless foul play will not only be naïve but will also disregard Dr McKee’s findings.
Deliberation focusing on ‘the breakdown’ would be a central aspect of these discussion sessions, particularly reviewing the safety concerns and impact of contesting the ball on the ground, the ‘jackal’ versus an upright gameplay. This serves as an important chance to enforce rules to keep the players on their feet and eliminate the increasingly violent ‘flying into the breakdown’ practice.
However, the recurring ‘pick and drives’ strategy, where players routinely utilise their heads, doesn’t seem to find much acknowledgement in these discussions.
The question of player replacements, including their timing and method of application, is under active consideration. It calls for a detailed analysis of replacement timings, player fatigue, and potential choices that could generate more field space and decrease injury rates.
It is of utmost importance for World Rugby to alleviate the risk factor in the game and consider Dr McKee’s research findings seriously. Consequently, any legal proposals need to be evaluated against the crucial requirement of eradicating head-collision incidents, rather than mistakenly focusing solely on what chairman, Bill Beaumont, joyfully terms as “boosting the entertainment value through embracing change.”
Both aspects are of significant importance and can be achieved concurrently, they are not necessarily opposing options.
Lastly, multiple recommendations suggest that distinctive legal alterations at club and school levels are necessitated. Fergus Slattery, an eminent player from Ireland and Lions in the past, strongly advocated this before he faced a tough fight with intense dementia.
Such legal modifications could be the solitary way to ensure rugby’s long-term persistence at these amateur stages.