Time to act to protect the very future of the game

IN a Lions year, there is always a great interest and following of rugby.

Discussions around dinner tables frequently revolve around who is going to be selected, who will be given the honour of captaining this most prestigious of teams and most importantly, how the team will fare on tour.

The most-recent Lions tour to New Zealand was no exception.

Surrounding the tour was a huge commercial machine that ensured the thousands of travelling fans helped make the tour one of the best ever, for tourists and host nation alike.

Yet the game itself is facing a crisis. Parents are no longer sending their young children off to play rugby without a passing thought.

There is genuine concern that the game is becoming too physical, that concussions are becoming more common and that other injuries sustained while playing the game are going to lead to a generation of past players who may suffer from a legacy of contact injuries while playing rugby.

These issues and concerns aren’t just a passing “fad”. When you watch televised games, the impacts and collisions are breathtaking. Big hits are celebrated and replayed, thereby becoming the standard to aim for at all levels of rugby.

Despite the crackdown on “head-high” contact, players are still targeting the midriff of ball carriers, the tackles intended to dislodge the ball.

When these tackles, or hits, are led with the head and shoulders, it is hardly surprising that there are more concussions.

And to be clear, the Head Injury Assessment processes have improved beyond all recognition – yet these are dealing with the symptoms rather than the cause of the problem.

The game of rugby has become more violent. Players are heavier, stronger and faster than ever before and, as a consequence, the likelihood of serious injury is increasing.

It is time that World Rugby took a long hard look at the contact areas of the game, and implemented some serious measures to prevent what may be catastrophic.

They should consider lowering the tackle height further, preventing “jackals” from being cleared out and encouraging tackling around the legs.

The future of the game relies on youngsters finding it attractive and safe to play. At the moment it is becoming more dangerous.