Scotland forward who watched his team-mate's life being saved urges clubs to back new campaign

Initiative to have a defibrillator at every rugby club in the country

It’s World Restart a Heart Day and that is a particularly poignant occasion for those gathered at Murrayfield to launch a new initiative.

For Scotland forward Sam Skinner, it’s a reminder of the former team-mate who went into cardiac arrest during training and had his life saved by club physios.

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“It was shocking, I’ve actually got goosebumps now just thinking about it,” says Skinner who was with Exeter Chiefs at the time.

“Our physios were incredible. They had the knowledge and the right equipment - they had the defibrillator - and they saved his life. It was that black and white.”

It’s the reason why the Edinburgh lock is happy to lend his backing to a new scheme aimed at helping Scottish rugby clubs buy a defibrillator, the device that delivers an electric shock to the heart to restart its normal rhythm.

“Rugby is funny because it’s an emotional sport and you build it up like it’s the be all and end all - and it is and it’s important we buy into that,” said Skinner. “But it slaps you in the face when something like that happens and you actually realise there are bigger fish to fry.”

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Scotland forward Sam Skinner, right, with Hugh Dan MacLennan, chair of Hearts + Balls Charitable Trust.Scotland forward Sam Skinner, right, with Hugh Dan MacLennan, chair of Hearts + Balls Charitable Trust.
Scotland forward Sam Skinner, right, with Hugh Dan MacLennan, chair of Hearts + Balls Charitable Trust. | SNS Group / SRU

It is estimated that around 30 clubs in Scotland do not always have access to a defibrillator and they are being encouraged to take advantage of this initiative which has been made possible by a £25,000 grant from the Hearts + Balls Charity to mark its own 25th anniversary.

Scottish Rugby has teamed up with Hearts + Balls to not only offer clubs the opportunity to have access to defibrillators but also give their members the chance to take their First Responders’ Course and learn techniques for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Skinner was a willing participant at Murrayfield where he practised chest compressions on a dummy under the expert eye of Dr Karen Barclay, Scottish Rugby’s rugby development welfare manager.

“We know that early intervention does save lives,” said Dr Barclay. “And we know that clubs who have also invested in a defibrillator can restore the precious gift of life to individuals and their families.

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“If we get a defibrillator on within that three- to five-minute window after a sudden cardiac arrest, we know that the survival rates go up to 50 to 70 per cent. That's what research shows. So it's so important to us that we have these defibrillators out in the communities and I would really encourage all the rugby clubs within Scotland to take advantage of this, to either make sure they've got a defibrillator if they don't have one, or really consider augmenting the supply that they do have."

Skinner’s ex-team-mate wasn’t able to continue playing rugby but he survived which wouldn’t have been possible without the actions of the medics.

“It ended his career,” said Skinner. “But he’s got his life back completely and he is able to live an amazing life but the reality is that if he had not had that support and been training in an environment at that level he would have passed away.

“So that’s why I’m really keen to help out and learn myself. I’ve learned some things today about CPR that now means if something does happen I would feel confident that I’d be knowledgeable enough to offer some support and help.”

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That’s even more important at the smaller clubs who don’t have the professional in-house medical teams that the top pro sides can afford.

For Hamish Bell, who was a wing/full-back with Blairgowrie RFC, it was his team-mates who saved him. Now 23, he was 20 when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during training in June 2021.

“Medics said without the quick-thinking of my team-mates and the use of a defibrillator, I would have likely died,” said Bell. “The charity, Hearts & Balls, like me, wants every rugby club in Scotland to have access to this vital piece of equipment. It will save a life, and it will save your team-mates. Defibrillators need to be accessible, close-by, clearly visible and always around. Whether wall-mounted or portable, this equipment should be considered part of every kit-bag.”

Dr Karen Barclay, rugby development welfare manager at Scottish Rugby, with Hugh Dan MacLennan, chair of Hearts + Balls Charitable Trust.Dr Karen Barclay, rugby development welfare manager at Scottish Rugby, with Hugh Dan MacLennan, chair of Hearts + Balls Charitable Trust.
Dr Karen Barclay, rugby development welfare manager at Scottish Rugby, with Hugh Dan MacLennan, chair of Hearts + Balls Charitable Trust. | SNS Group / SRU

Bell intends to climb Scotland’s three highest mountains next summer to help raise funds for Hearts + Balls.

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Each defibrillator costs between £800 and £1500 but they are being provided at a discounted rate by the British Heart Foundation which is backing the initiative. Access to them becomes even more vital in remote and rural communities where the club might be based long distances from medical help. It’s a point not lost on Hugh Dan MacLennan, the chair of the Hearts + Ball Charitable Trust.

“I lost probably my best friend at school who was 26 when he died on the shinty field,” said MacLennan who retired as the BBC’s shinty commentator last year. “He was just running with the ball and he dropped. I was working for the BBC at the time, I'd stopped playing myself, and I took the call to say that Joe Toal had died on the playing field and the players and the Spean Bridge community and the two clubs involved [Lochaber against Fort William] in some ways never recovered from that.

“Now, we'll never know if a defibrillator would have saved Joseph but they tried hard to save him between there and the hospital. There was a guy who was 26, a top footballer - he almost signed for Morton - and a great athlete with nothing wrong with him and just in a blink he was gone. He was only 26. I know that that field now has a defibrillator.”

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