Rugby authorities told to cut game time as study finds risk of MND is 15 times higher

Rugby officials have been called upon to cut back on competitive games after research found elite rugby players had a risk of developing motor neurone disease that was 15 times higher than the general population.

The research compared 412 Scotland international players born between 1900 to 1990 with 1,200 members of the population and also found the rugby players were twice as likely to get dementia and three times more at risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Dr Willie Stewart, who led the study, warned the situation was only going to worsen with an increasing number of high-profile cases emerging from past and present players in recent years.

Stewart said: “Of particular concern are the data on motor neurone disease risk among our rugby players, which is even higher than that for former professional footballers.

“The finding requires immediate research attention to explore the specific association between rugby and the devastating condition of motor neurone disease.

“This should be a stimulus to them [rugby’s authorities] to really pick up their heels and start making pretty dramatic changes as quickly as possible to try and reduce risk.

“Instead of talking about extending seasons and introducing new competitions and global seasons, they should be talking about restricting it as much as possible.

“So, cutting back on the amount of rugby we’re seeing, getting rid of as much training as possible. Things like that have to be addressed pretty, pretty rapidly.”