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Doddie Weir: Rugby not to blame for my motor neurone disease

By Alex Fisher
Doddie Weir playing for Scotland in 1995

Former Scotland international Doddie Weir insists he places no blame on rugby after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

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In June, Weir revealed that he was suffering with MND after first noticing the symptoms 18 months before when he trapped his hand in a door on his farm.

MND describes a group of diseases that affect the nerves in the brain and spinal cord that tell your muscles what to do. Gradually the messages from these nerves stop reaching the muscles, leading them to weaken, stiffen and waste.

Weir, who earned 61 Scotland caps, is the second international rugby star to have suffered with the condition, after former South Africa scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen lost his life earlier this year after a six-year battle.

“I asked the question to my professor and there’s no profound knowledge to say that rugby was involved in my condition,” the 47-year-old told the BBC.

“Yeah [I got head knocks], I think you always do in the way that we played, definitely, not often concussed but certainly a few bangs on the head. 

“But there’s maybe 450 to 500 sufferers of MND in Scotland – and quite a large majority probably wouldn’t have played rugby.

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“I don’t think there’s any connection to it at the moment but the reason behind that is that there’s maybe not a lot of studies put together, not a lot of work or focus put on MND at the moment in the world, so hopefully we can try and change that and try to find the solution.”

Weir has set up the Doddie Weir’5 Discretionary Trust to help with research and supporting fellow sufferers, having taken inspiration from the work Van der Westhuizen did before his death.

“He [Van der Westhuizen] probably brought me on to understand what it was all about,” added Weir. 

“I met him at Murrayfield a number of years ago. A very inspirational character.

“So with his J9 Foundation it was really the first port of call that I was going to do, to see what he’s done before – because there’s a frustrating part with MND and that’s the solution. That’s not been found yet. It’s a terminal illness and that’s quite hard to take.”

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Despite his condition Weir remains upbeat and hopes to help find a cure for MND.

“I’m very lucky in some ways because it’s directly started with my hands,” he said. 

“With other people it can start with their voice, their eating or their legs, so in a way I can still do everything, although maybe a bit slower than what they used to be.

“The reaction of everyone – rugby players especially – the support’s been unbelievable, very humbling. 

“Now the focus is about driving to secure a resolution. I’ve got to try and make a difference.”

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
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Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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