It was a normal Sunday rugby afternoon for Sarah Chester's back in October 2014, unbeknown to her it would be her last ever rugby match. Following brain injuries from a regular rugby tackle she died one month later. In these rare cases, the realism of the contact sport is brought to our attention and there is no escaping that contact for men and women.
Health and safety in rugby has attracted a lot of media and public attention across the ages from critics questioning playing the sport in schools to academics suggesting the removal of scrums and tackling in the game. But it is time to find out what taking away these elements would do to the game. How would limiting early learning impact later injuries? Or quite simply is it just the harsh reality of a physical contact sport which we cannot change.
Every Sunday Emma Langton says goodbye to fear and hello to excitement as she steps on the rugby pitch with the other members of her rugby family.Langton, outside centre for Abu Dhabi Harlequins sevens does not let the potential fear of the game get to her. "When I step on the pitch I think about my role on the pitch and what I need to do and where I need to be rather than if I could get hurt. The thought has never really crossed my mind that a serious injury could occur.
Even after seeing one of her fellow team mates paralysed two years ago from a rugby injury, Langton till insists worrying about health and safety would take the fun out of the game. The dedication and passion that goes into a rugby match, shows the true reality of a players mind when they go to play rugby. It is the risk they take, almost an adrenaline rush of what if. Passion and safety have a slim line as Langton demonstrates as she insists “I have never considered giving up playing due to fear of more injury – even after breaking my ankle and foot this season."
This love and lack of fear towards injury in rugby thrives at all levels as women’s rugby is not scaring away girls but instead continuing to attract players.
A recent survey by The Girl’s School Association (GSA) showed that rugby is growing and gaining momentum among girls in Independent girls’ schools.Looking at 35 GSA schools the survey assessed what range of rugby was offered and what girls took part.
Results showed that 60 per cent of those surveyed said their girls play either tag rugby, rugby union or rugby league on a regular basis. Half of the schools surveyed also provided rugby or tag rugby as part of curriculum with a further 14 per cent of schools looking to introduce it.GSA President and Principal of St Gabriel’s School, Newbury where Year 9-12 girls play extra curriculum tag rugby, Mr Alun Jones, said: “The range of sporting activity in GSA schools is astonishing and the growing popularity of girls’ rugby is another indication that not all independent schools are stuck in the dark ages of tradition.”
Mum to 12 year old rugby lover Ellie, Alison Oliver explained that she was proud when her daughter said she wanted to take up playing rugby. She added: “The women’s game gets just as as physical as the men’s and I was proud that she wanted to take that challenge on having watched the physicality of it growing up. She joined Peterborough Rugby Club and got mucked straight in not worrying about throwing herself about.
“With being bullied at school for not being like everyone else she used rugby as her way of building confidence, meeting new people and venting energy. It was good to see her be confident and the most fearless while on the rugby pitch.”
Working on developing the natural attraction to women’s rugby at junior and school level, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) have positively answered back to concerns from parents, members and teachers.
Both contact and non-contact rugby for young people in England takes different forms. Significant long-term work has developed a gradual progression to the game to ensure maximum possible safety, with a structured approach covering introduction, playing, teaching and refereeing from Under sevens to Under 18. As of September 2016, schools and clubs across the country will implement the rugby player progression building blocks into the 15 a-side game.
RFU Development Director, Steve Grainger said: “Rugby is a fantastic sport for children bringing many physical and social benefits, including increased confidence, self-esteem and self-discipline and enjoyable physical exercise as part of a team. Teachers constantly comment on off-pitch behaviour improvements when rugby is introduced in school.”
To keep this momentum growing in female rugby, the attraction has to be pushed from the lowest levels for both participation and safety reasons.
Manager of Little Legs and Vigor Rugby North East, Mark Watchman-Atkinson, said: "As a child going into rugby you are taught the very basics, you start with tag, touch, develop one man rucks and then moving on to two and so forth and then you are taught the safe way of tackling properly, you are not thrown in and expected to just do it from any age."
Watchman-Atkinson added, "I think rugby should be a compulsory session at schools because it teaches you values that no other sport does and that can be translated into everyday life, respect, discipline, teamwork, sportsmanship and enjoyment."
Saying no to rugby and its brutality is not the answer. Qualified PE Teacher, Langton added: “I think that the discussion of taking rugby out of schools is ridiculous. From experience, I know that small children are less likely in theory to get hurt as adults if they learn the appropriate skills as a child. Yes, concussion and other serious injuries can occur but this can be minimized by high quality coaching from a young age in schools. Teaching the correct techniques should help to lower the number of injuries that occur.
“Tackling and Scrums are generally where most injuries occur in games, but I think that if we take tackling and scrums away from junior rugby, more injuries will occur in adult rugby when they are re-introduced as the bodies will not be used to the impact.”
In other devastating circumstances, Lily Partridge, 23 also died following an injury in training with Devon Ladies. She had taken the recommended break from playing after a history of concussion. Even in cases of these dramatic incidents, we cannot look past the fact girls like Chester's and Partridge step on the pitch because of their love for rugby not whether it is safe. The harsh reality of rugby is that no matter the level; junior, university or club you could get hurt. For those two cases of trauma there are hundreds of players that continue playing without serious injuries.
