Rugby union is a growing sport in England and England reaching the final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup will most likely lead to more young people taking up the sport. Since 2017, the number of girls playing rugby union in England has risen by 28% to 2.7 million. Obviously, this is a positive, but it is young people who are more at risk of concussion. This is not only because their brain is less developed, which not only means that they are more susceptible but that the impact will also cause greater damage, but they are also more likely to not understand how to tackle properly.
England’s Kyle Sinckler said on Twitter that he felt as though he didn’t get to “shoot his shot” as he had to go off concussed within the first few minutes of the Rugby World Cup final. That one of the world’s most dynamic players barely featured in the tournament’s showpiece is indicative of rugby’s growing problem with concussion
There were 8 red cards issued in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the most in the competition’s history, as World Rugby looked to stamp down on the number of head injuries suffered in rugby union. World Rugby has trialled various new laws in order to reduce the number of concussions with the latest being any tackles over waist height to be made illegal. This is indicative of the dangers of rugby in its current form. However, these trials are only held in the smaller competitions. This means that not enough coverage is shown to prospective rule changes, which means that the issue does not receive sufficient exposure.
Concussion is not a new problem in rugby union. Back in 2014, ex-England international Shontayne Hape revealed how he was left with “depression, constant migraines and memory loss” as a result of a string of concussion injuries. Hape also spoke of how players would be pressured into returning to play even if not completely symptom-free. Rugby has come a long way since then in its attitude towards concussion but there is still more that could be done.
In the Premiership, although the number the number of concussions decreased from 169 in the 2016/17 season to 140 in the 2017/18 season, the injuries themselves had longer recovery times. In 2019, the RFU’s annual study found that the average concussion took 19 days to recover. However, in the current return to play protocols, the minimum recovery is just six days.
Recently, Liam Polwart, who represented New Zealand at Under 20’s and also played for the New Zealand Maoris, had to retire at the age of just 24. Polwart was considered to be one of New Zealand’s most promising young players but missed 12 games in his season because of concussion injuries. Polwart has described himself as “symptom free,” but is choosing to retire before the problem gets worse.
There have been many high-profile studies of the impact of head injuries suffered in football, usually from heading the ball. Obviously, the head injuries suffered in rugby are not only more frequent but are also more damaging. Concussion in any sport is a serious issue but at the same time as reports are being published on the dangers of concussion in football, Manchester United’s Daniel James is feigning a head injury whilst on international duty with Wales, with the Wales manager, Ryan Giggs, praising him for using his “nous.” Football is still at a crossroads with its relationship with concussion.
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