School red cards rugby over concussions

A Christchurch primary school has red-carded rugby this winter after a child suffered a ‘‘severe’’ concussion last year.

Waita¯ kiri Primary School told parents on Monday it would not offer rugby as an option for 2018, leaving children the option of football, netball, or hockey for Hagley Winter Sports, a two-term interschool tournament involving about 7000 year 5 and 6 students.

‘‘There could potentially be a child of 30 kilograms attempting to tackle a child of 100kg or more,’’ principal Andrew Barker said.

A letter to families said the lack of weight restrictions and ‘‘variability on referees’ ability’’ drove the decision by the school’s board of trustees.

‘‘We’re not anti-rugby,’’ board chair Ben Naylor said yesterday.

‘‘A good chunk of our board are very passionate about rugby and we wanted to do it, but we decided we’re not going to put our kids out there if we don’t know it’s safe.’’

Sports director Lyn Miles, of Canterbury Primary Sports, which manages the Hagley Park competition, said the organisation had ‘‘already addressed’’ Waita¯ kiri’s concerns by introducing a five-week trial of ‘‘rapid rugby’’ – a version of the game without scrums and lineouts – and following national requirements around volunteer referee training.

However, a trial of under and

over-55 kilogram grades last year flopped because smaller schools did not have enough children to form multiple teams, she said.

‘‘They end up with kids who are

95[kg] and kids who are 35[kg].’’ Barker said he had issues with a lack of weight grading when heavy contact and high speeds were involved.

In September, British sports injury researchers said tackles and other harmful contact should be banned from school rugby.

They cited Auckland University of Technology research that found under-9-year-olds who played full-contact rugby experienced head impacts as strong as American college football players, despite their smaller size.

New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) head of community rugby Brent Anderson said school children played non-contact ‘‘rippa rugby’’ until year 4 and 5, around the age at which children entered Hagley Winter Sports.

Weight grading varied between regions ‘‘according to the player base in their province and the grades they are able to provide’’.

‘‘It’s up to schools to decide what sports they want to deliver in their schools according to their resources, interests etc,’’ he said in a written statement.

Rapid rugby, developed by the Canterbury Rugby Football Union (CFRU), was designed to ‘‘decrease the impact at the collision area and provide more opportunities players to develop safer tackle techniques,’’ acting chief executive Tony Small said.

‘‘This was piloted with 1000 children in 2017, with positive feedback from coaches and players,’’ a statement from Small said.

Miles said ‘‘every person who is with a team – coach, manager, whoever – has to do a Small Blacks course’’ designed to ensure children’s rugby skills developed alongside their physical ability.

This included training around concussions and appropriate physical contact for different age groups.

About a quarter of Hagley Winter Sports participants, roughly 1750 children, played rugby, and Canterbury Primary Sports relied on schools to supply adequately trained referees, she said.

‘‘We have addressed that as much as we can and now it’s up to the schools.’’

In the five years to June 2017, ACC received 428 new claims children under 15 who suffered concussions and brain injuries playing rugby.

Of those, 59 occurred in Canterbury.

''... we're not going to put our kids out there if we don't know it's safe."

Waita¯ kiri Primary School board chair Ben Naylor