The Tackling Debate

As an underage Rugby coach and paediatric physiotherapist, the recent debate around tackling & concussion in underage Rugby has been particularly pertinent both from a personal and professional viewpoint.

This discussion, which stemmed from the recent open letter from academics and health professionals urging UK and Irish governments to ban tackling in school rugby for all age grades. This letter contained the signatures of seventy experienced medical doctors, academics and healthcare professionals – collectively named the “Sport Collision Injury Collective”.

The letter has led many rugby players to voice their opinions on the matter. World Cup winner and arguably the greatest out-half of all time – Dan Carter - expressed how removing the contact out of sports for young players was not the answer and could result in more damage when children transition into adult rugby.

“To take the tackling out of rugby or people up until 18, I think, is going to be extremely dangerous because they won’t learn how to tackle properly.

“Something I’ve learned throughout my career is the growth of the understanding of concussion, and the medical procedures that they now have in place, are completely different to 10 years ago where players used to get concussed and they would play the next week or they would continue to play their game.”

Others have come down hard stating that rugby would lose its essence, its comradery, its values and what makes it such a popular sport for parents and children. Ex England international, Austin Healey said “Ban, walking on pavements, climbing trees, riding your bike and ban being a kid #nannystate #sanitisesociety”.

While many a barstool debate will include opinions similar to Healey, I find it hard to listen to some of the more sensationalist voices who contradict and condemn the opinions of qualified medical professionals.

What people often forget is that rugby, as a professional sport, is still in its relative infancy, having just passed the twenty-year mark last year in 2015. The medical research is even younger with very few long-term studies conducted; the study which prompted the open letter being the most prominent and thought provoking to date.

These are medical professionals who have conducted a study, presented their findings and then recommendations, such as any good medical professional would do. Put simply; they want to reduce the number and severity of head injuries in rugby, with their conclusion being to ban tackling.

The pleasing thing is that people are listening and it is generating healthy debate, with many leading current internationals and figures in the sport giving well balanced views on the matter. The aim should be to identify solutions that won’t santise the game to a point where its identity comes into question.

So, how should we address the problem in school aged rugby? Firstly, it requires good governance and protocol coming from the top all the way down to the grassroots. Concussion training should be a compulsory skill all coaches and people with a direct involvement in the game should have.

Many coaches would admit they are unsure of identifying a head knock or suspected concussion and even then can be easily mislead by false negatives of it being fatigue or just dehydration that has the player feeling unwell.

Last weekend, while coaching Centaurs U16s, a player said he had a knock and after being sent to the medical staff came back saying he is ok to play again. The other coach and I straight away explained to him that he would not be allowed back on. The best step to take after making sure they are ok, is to err on the side of caution and remove them from the game. The old adage “if in doubt, sit them out” is best applied here.

This partly addresses the symptoms but we also need to look at more solutions. Removing tackling is not viable as it doesn’t prepare children for adult rugby, however a rule change such as that carried out in Scotland which limits the 8-12 years old age groups tackling to below the hips is definitely worth exploring. This coupled with the coaching techniques employed at an early age could have positive long last effects on how children learn to tackle.

Another method is the coaching during teenage years. No rugby union fan wants to see the game go the way of Rugby league where big units are told ‘stick it up the jumper and run as hard as you can into the other bloke’. Kids need to be taught that footwork in contact is far more effective at crossing the gainline than the attritional tactic of running over someone, (it will prolong both individuals career). Teaching children to use footwork in order to cross the gainline will have a far more positive knock on effect, forcing the tackler to have to go lower in order to make the hit and instantly removing the collision of two heads.

If this is coupled with teaching children the important technique of where to put their head in the tackle, it would engrain in children how to tackle correctly and leave them with the necessary muscle memory to have a long and enjoyable rugby life.

There are other solutions being explored which have gained merit, such as the weight and size limits in New Zealand. This means children are assessed on size and weight rather than just age. No longer can the biggest child on the field run over everyone, putting fear into parents, coaches and players alike!

The important thing for me is that we are all in agreement that there is a problem which needs solving, and that sensible solutions should be presented to solve it, rather than simply dismissing the medical professionals.

Fergal Tuohy - Writing on behalf of The Rugby Pod - www.TheRugbyPod.com

Fergal Tuohy is Head of Paediatric Physiotherapy at IFCPT, specialising in child development and is also one of the Head Coaches at Centaurs Rugby and Lycée Français de Singapour.