CONCUSSION FEARS IF SCRUMS AREN’T BROUGHT BACK

RUGBY LEAGUE could continue without scrums next season despite concerns that their removal may increase the risk of players suffering from concussion. Scrums were abolished when the Super league season resumed after lockdown last summer, as the sport sought to convince Public Health England it was safe to play during the pandemic. But they were due to be reintroduced for the 2021 campaign, which will end with England staging the World Cup in the autumn. The rapid spread of the new variant of Covid-19 has prompted a rethink amid concerns the return of scrums could make it harder to contain the virus and lead to mass postponements. However, a decision has been made more difficult by evidence that the removal of scrums has made players more susceptible to head injuries due to the increased number of tackles. The number of recent cancellations in rugby union, which has retained scrums in the professional game, is a concern. This was emphasised yesterday when Northampton v leicester became the fifth Premiership game to be called off since the season began last month. The RFL laws Committee will meet to consider the issue on January 20 with a decision expected by the end of the month. Until the new variant emerged, the return of scrums was seen as a straightforward call but officials must balance that desire with their duty of care to players and the need to protect Super league’s £40million -a-year deal with Sky Sports, which would be jeopardised by mass cancellations. The evidence shows that the tackle count has risen sharply without scrums. In the 61 regular-season Super league matches following the resumption, there was an average of 708 tackles, compared to the pre-lockdown average of 658. Tackles account for 76 per cent of concussions in rugby. The retirement of former leeds Rhinos captain Stevie Ward at the age of 27 due to concussion has emphasised the danger to rugby players, 10 of whom are preparing a legal claim for damages after diagnoses of early-onset dementia. a further difficulty for the laws Committee is that scrums have been retained by the NRL in australia during the pandemic. This raises the prospect of most of England’s players operating under different rules to one of their major rivals ahead of the World Cup.