Uncontested scrums urged

Scrums would have to be unopposed and ruck and mauls stopped quicker if rugby is to prevent the potential spread of viruses, says a former World Rugby medical director.

Barry O’Driscoll – a former Ireland fullback whose second cousin Brian O’Driscoll captained the 2005 British and Irish Lions on their tour of New Zealand – said close contact sports, such as rugby, would need ‘‘huge changes’’ on the pitch to minimise the risk.

‘‘Soccer can more or less resume on the same circumstances on the field but it’s a nonsense to suggest it’s the same for rugby,’’ O’Driscoll told The Mail on Sunday. ‘‘

‘‘It’s hard to say where rugby starts. I can’t think of a team O’Driscoll said the ball was handled frequently in rugby, ‘‘so there’s a much bigger capacity for germs to move around.’’

He said that if rugby wished to restart in July, it would ‘‘have to consider unopposed scrums, going through the motion without even putting your head down. Perhaps you’d have to stop rucks and mauls much quicker.’’

‘‘Players, families, doctors and clubs will all want protecting legally. There’s not much research available. It’s new territory.

‘‘If they get it wrong, it will do huge damage to rugby and would cost millions of pounds.’’

O’Driscoll, who earned four caps in the early 1970s, served for a time as the medical director of the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) before quitting in 2012 when the board introduced a five-minute pitchside concussion test.

He has been outspoken about rugby’s need to tackle its concussion problem.