Rule changes for school rugby help reduce risk of injuries to players

The changes, introduced last year, were initially a response by the Scottish Rugby Union to a rise in the number of players being paralysed in accidents on the field in recent years. Between 2007 and 2009, there were seven serious incidents.

And, in February this year, winger Thom Evans was forced to retire from international rugby after suffering a horrendous spinal injury during Scotland's match with Wales at the Six Nations.

The 25-year-old seriously damaged two vertebrae after colliding with Lee Byrne and subsequently underwent surgery to stabilise his spine.

School and youth-side coaches now believe that, as a result of the changes, their players are now less at risk from sustaining injuries in general.

The two key changes saw male players under the age of 16 prevented from playing in under-18 or under-17 sides unless in exceptional circumstances, while all teachers, coaches and referees involved in the sport were required to complete a safety course by the start of the 2009-10 season.

The Are You Ready To Play Rugby? course covered injury prevention, correct technique and management.

And, last month, it became a minimum requirement for all coaches and teachers to complete a practical Rugby Ready course.

Other changes include monitoring of players to prevent them from playing too frequently, while players also receive education and instruction on technique and safety.

Yesterday, it was revealed the rule changes had halted a rise in the number of spinal injuries suffered during matches. A report to be brought before the British Orthopaedic Association Congress in Glasgow on Thursday will show that, since the new rules were introduced by the SRU last year, there has not been a single spinal injury.

David Cockburn head coach at Lasswade Rugby Club, said: "I think all aspects of the game are much safer.

"It's partly to do with the Rugby Ready course but also the knowledge of the coaches and the way the referees are refereeing games; they're not allowing as much nonsense to go on."

He added that there had been a drop in the number of fights in last season.

"I would say there was an improvement in safety in general throughout rugby because of Rugby Ready and referees understanding what is expected of them."

However, Mr Cockburn said the age-appropriate restrictions had been key in reducing injuries: "The stopping of younger guys playing older guys has saved a lot of people from getting damaged.What you've got now is boy or a girl coming to a level because they're capable of and ready to play at it."

And he denied the attraction of the sport had been damaged by the rules, stating there was "still a huge physicality" in rugby.

Gerry McGuinness, former coach of Hawick Wanderers semi-junior side, who recently became assistant coach at Peebles Rugby Club, said the rule changes had "all come together" to make the game safer.

"There's no doubt about it, the best place for a 16-year-old is to play rugby with other 16-year-olds, and the same goes for 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds.

"I think if you were to look at the stats a 16-year-old who was injured, the guy who injured him would probably be a bigger and possibly older guy."

Some academics have pressed for the banning of scrums and high tackles at school level.

However, David Allan, director of the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow, who co-authored the new research, said he satisfied that the current changes ensured a sufficient level of safety for players.

Dominic McKay, the SRU's director of communications said last night: "Rugby is a safe sport enjoyed by tens of thousands of players throughout Scotland and many hundreds of thousands globally."

He added: "Through our partnerships with renowned academics and leading medical professionals, Scottish Rugby will continue to ensure the game evolves at all levels and remains enjoyable for players of all shapes and sizes, ultimately assisting in keeping our nation active and healthy."