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Family release footage of their now paralysed son's neck being broken during match

By Ian Cameron
The family of Robert Paylor have released this footage

The family of Robert Paylor, a Californian rugby player whose neck was broken during a match earlier this year, have released footage of the incident on social media following a World Rugby review into the tragedy.

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The family released the footage after they say they were disappointed in the outcome of a USA rugby investigation into the circumstances of the injury, which found that no further sanction was needed in the case.

The secondrow was involved in a maul which collapsed. As the footage shows as the maul collapses the player’s neck is tucked downwards due to the bind of an opposition player, and the weight of the collapsing maul comes down on his neck.

Robert underwent surgery but five months on is now classed as a tetraplegic, meaning the 20-year-old is paralyzed below the chest and has limited motion in his arms.

USA Rugby requested an independent World Rugby Certified Citing Commissioner review the Robert Paylor incident to determine if further discipline was necessary under the regulations of World Rugby.

According to USA Rugby: “After a lengthy, yet protocol focused period, the citing commissioner determined the incident to involve a reckless play, but not involving a “large amount of force” on the behalf of Arkansas State.

“The World Rugby certified review concludes, “Photographic evidence shows prior to the collapse there is less visible evidence of muscle strain (an indication of active attempt to pull down on the neck) than when both players are moving down as the maul collapses…In addition, given the constant position of the elbow in relation to the head, there appears to be no torquing motion applied to the neck.”

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Paylor’s parents have stated this week.

“Our son is not going to benefit from any change in safety measures or investigation, his days of playing rugby are over,” his parents wrote. “Our focus from the beginning has been toward the future safety of rugby players. Ideally, this incident should serve the sport as education and coaching opportunities as a living example of why players should not engage in foul play.”

While Paylor had a certain level of health insurance, it did not cover the costs in an injury of this severity, and so the family continue to fundraise to raise the money for his ongoing care. You can donate to his fund here.

CBS Sacramento covered the story back in May.

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Jon 8 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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john 11 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.

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