FOLEY SAYS TEACH TACKLING EARLY TO AVOID HEAD INJURY
ANTHONY FOLEY has likened untrained schools players playing rugby to unqualified electricians wiring your house. The Munster coach insisted that young players would be better off honing the basic skills of the game rather than having the tackle outlawed from schools’ rugby altogether. In a letter sent to the British Government from a number of sport and public health scholars, the severity of injuries picked up by schoolboys playing was underlined, triggering a debate surrounding the safety of the game for younger players. But Foley said he learned the basics of the game first, and then went on to play at the highest level and that putting untrained players into the action will inevitably lead to injuries. ‘An electrician going into work not properly suited to doing his job, if he’d come through an apprenticeship and he wasn’t capable of doing an electrician’s job, then you’d be worried about him doing a job on your house wouldn’t you?’ said the Munster head coach. ‘These kids need to be taught how to tackle, whether you outlaw above the waist or anything from the chest-area tackling at underage, and every tackle needs to be around the legs. That could be a way forward, that could be a step forward.’ Foley had some mixed news on the injury front this week with centre and stand-in captain Denis Hurley ruled out for the next month with another calf muscle injury, while Tyler Bleyendaal could return at the same time as Hurley following a quad muscle injury. Scrum-half Tomás O’Leary will miss the next two weeks after he picked up a groin injury in training last week. Foley is hoping that a bug which has ravaged the squad in recent weeks will soon run its course, with Ian Keatley the latest player laid low by the illness. Elsewhere, Connacht place-kicker Craig Ronaldson is putting in extra hours on the training pitch to help them to glory in their best season. Ronaldson, who is out of contract at the end of the season, revealed how coach Pat Lam brought in his placekickers and told them what he expected from them after a poor return from the tee. ‘Pat had all the kickers sit down and told us what he expects, and that we need to be nailing most of our kicks. ‘Probably there was that bit more added pressure,’ he said.