As part of our campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of concussion in rugby, we spoke to a current rugby player to find out how big an issue they felt concussion is in the game and what could be done to prevent it.
James Hibbert has previously played for Banbury Bulls RUFC and at County level for Oxfordshire. He currently plays for Manchester Metropolitan University.
One of the big issues with concussion is players playing on when having been concussed. Players may not be aware they have been concussed but there can be pressure for players to play on, as mentioned by ex-England international Shontayne Hape following his retirement.
Hibbert told us that in regards to pressure to play on, this may be something that is not quite as common as it was once was. Hibbert says that although players may encourage other players to carry on, coaches and physios do not want to risk players and there is usually more pressure to come off, in order to avoid further injury.
Following World Rugby’s proposal to lower the tackle height for the 2023 World Cup in France, Hibbert feels as though although the ball carrier may be better protected, the tackler may be putting themselves in more danger. This is in part due to the fact knees are rather more painful to come into contact with than chests if they were to collide with someone’s head. However Hibbert feels as though players could be better protected in the tackle if all players had to wear scrum caps as a rule.
Currently, players must wear gum guards when playing rugby. Opro, a leading brand of gum guards, has developed a gum guard that can relay information on the impacts players’ suffer in real time. This is more advanced than players all simply wearing scrum caps but this technology may not widely used for some time. In this instance, ensuring all players wear some sort of head protection, such as a scrum cap, may be the immediate solution.
In regards to how young players should start playing full contact rugby, Hibbert feels as though this is not an immediate problem. He says that “as long as they are taught correct techniques” there is no reason as to why players should be at significant risk of injury. Hibbert notes that there also non-contact options for players not just at age group level, but for adult players too. Touch rugby is becoming increasingly popular. This may due to its inclusivity, many teams are mixed gender, but also because it takes much of the physical element of the game. Traditionally, rugby was the game for all sizes, with different positions requiring different statures. Since the professional era however, there is an increasing obsession with strength and speed in all areas of the park, potentially at the expense of players developing a fundamental skill set.
headstrong.sport.blog 