Ben Kay, Will Carling & more react as experts demand they 'Ban tackling in school rugby' for safety
Rugby NewsTuesday, 26 September 2017 at 09:40
The UK's chief medical officers (CMOs) are being urged to protect children from the risks of rugby injuries by removing contact from the school game.
Prof Allyson Pollock, from Newcastle University, is presenting new evidence that banning tackling would reduce concussion, head and neck injuries.
They referred to a study they published in July in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in which they re-examined the rates and risks of injuries in sport.
Their analysis found that rugby had the highest concussion rates in children - 4.18 concussions per 1,000 athlete exposures - compared to 1.2 for ice hockey and 0.53 for American football.
A spokesman for World Rugby said it was unaware of any new evidence that would challenge the current position.
Last year, the CMOs rejected a call for a ban on tackling in youth rugby.
They said the benefits of learning, training and playing rugby outweighed the risks of injury.
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