Contactless rugby will divide opinion

For generations young people have grown up playing rugby at school. However, in recent times there has been growing concern about the dangers posed by tackling.

Fresh impetus was given to the debate yesterday as Professor Allyson Pollock of Newcastle University urged the UK’s chief medical officers (CMOs) to remove contact from the school game.

Once again, it proved to be a controversial suggestion. World Rugby was quick to respond, branding the call for a ban “alarmist and extreme”.

Advocates of tackling point out that learning the skills young actually decreases the chances of being injured later in life, good technique having been picked up from the start.

As with any sport, it is unrealistic to think the risk of injury can be completely removed, so the key question is whether or not the risk is unacceptably high.

The danger is that a ban could open a can of worms. Should we ban swimming due to the risk of drowning? Should cycling to school be outlawed due to the danger of colliding with a motorist?

On the other side of the fence, opponents of tackling will cite the relatively high levels of concussion that result from incidents on the rugby field.

The debate is certainly one worth having, but there should be no knee-jerk rush to judgment.