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'As soon as we talk about getting rid of head injuries completely I think the sport will struggle'
Back-up England scrum-half Dan Robson has urged caution amid suggestions that rugby needs to change in order to combat the level of head injuries being experienced in the game. Last weekend’s Guinness Six Nations round two games witnessed numerous players departing to the sidelines for head injury assessments.
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The action was then followed by the high profile midweek launch of Progressive Rugby, a lobby group spearheaded by ex-England flanker James Haskell.
They have written to World Rugby calling for contact training to be limited, an upper-level tackle height review, a reduction in the number of replacements, a limit on the number of games a Test player can annually play in, and an increase in the minimum concussion rest period to three weeks.
It has all very much placed the issue of head injuries under the spotlight again but Robson, the 28-year-old Wasps half-back who has eight England caps, fears too much change could potentially ruin rugby as a sport.
Speaking on Friday after England had reassembled at their team base in London ahead of the February 27 round three Six Nations game away to Wales, Robson said: “We understand as players it is part and parcel of the game these injuries, especially these head injuries.
It hasn't taken long for the governing body to say its piece in the wake of ex-England forward Haskell generating headlines with his new Progressive Rugby lobby grouphttps://t.co/EssLghCs4L
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 18, 2021
“It’s a contact sport, it’s going to happen. Unfortunately, as much as we try and manufacture as many situations that it doesn’t happen it’s still going to happen. As long as the players are on the same wavelength and understand that and it’s as safe as possible when we are going into games with tackle technique or whatever it may be, then we can reduce that as much as possible but it is never going to be kind of gone from the sport totally in my opinion.
“As soon as we talk about getting rid of head injuries completely I think the sport will struggle because you’re looking at a totally different aspect of this sport in general without any kind of contact.
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“It’s a difficult conversation I understand at the minute but for us, as players, we have just got to do everything we can to ensure we are as safe as possible going out on the field and really put what we are doing in the week to fruition at the weekend.”
Robson went on to voice his concerns about the suggested reduction in contact training done during the week. “It’s tough, isn’t it? You can definitely go that way and then more injuries happen because the body is not used to the contacts as much.
“You can’t just have that weekend to be a shock to the system with guys running at you and you putting your body on the line. There has got to be a middle line and from my time in rugby, clubs have definitely got better at that.
“Certainly with Wasps the contact we do is a lot more controlled stuff, technique work-based. There is obviously positives and negatives to both sides and I don’t think it will be as easy as saying right, no contact in training and crack on.”
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'I really do miss it. I am so obsessed. I watch every game'
In Jan 2020, a single, brutal on-field collision ended the career of @BristolBears 12 @whhurrell Yet his is a very different brain injury to the CTE cases making headlines
writes @heagneyl ???https://t.co/nMDZjyAOH3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 24, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
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