By Staff Writer, Kimaya Cole
There is no doubt that rugby is a fun, action-filled sport, but is it worth playing the game if you are faced with threatening injuries every collision? Rugby is a contact sport, as well as many other sports, but one of the main differences is that there are no pads to protect your body from constant tackles. Injuries are inevitable, but there is an increasing concern that rugby has become too dangerous.
The main concern is linked to tackles to the head. There is evidence from retired rugby players that repetitive, concussive blows to the head have led to dementia and long-term brain damage. It helps that there is a rule that you cannot touch someone else’s neck during a tackle. However, this rule isn’t followed most of the time because players are piled up after a tackle and the referee cannot see what is going on. Part of the problem is that there is no blocking or active substitution. So you must face the strong tackle and then stay in, even if you’re injured, until you are allowed to be substituted – as there are only seven substitutions in one whole eighty minute game. While rugby players continue to grow bigger, their bones remain fragile and weak.
George Meline (‘16) was one victim to the dangers of rugby. He went into a tackle, landed wrong, and ended up fracturing his fibula and tearing a ligament. George says the hardest part of rugby is discipline because it’s easy to build a bad attitude. When asked if he thinks rugby is dangerous, he replied “only if you don’t prepare for it.” He believes people have to be ready, with a clear mind, or else there is a high chance of getting injured. Despite his own injuries, rugby has been a big part of his life, admitting, “It’s just fun and I love going back to it.”
Believe it or not, players of all sizes can be sucked into the inevitable injuries from rugby. Will Christopherson (‘16), standing at 6’2”, found himself at the bottom of a tackle and came out with a torn MCL (medial collateral ligament), one of the four main ligaments in the knee. However, like most rugby players who love the game, that didn’t stop him from returning to play.
While many outsiders view rugby as a very dangerous sport, most players believe otherwise. Most of the CKM rugby team said injuries will always happen, but it is only dangerous if you aren’t ready to take a tackle.