Strength test failures raise concerns about the future of youth rugby

THE SRU is to meet with youth clubs in an effort to ease growing concern over the future of under-18 rugby as more clubs and schools struggle with new safety tests.

After seeking guidance from leading orthopaedic surgeons the SRU introduced a new policy that stops boys aged 15 or under from playing in the under-18 leagues, unless they pass medical strength tests designed to assess body development.

The programme, called 'Are You Ready to Play Rugby?', was a response to a growing number of injuries, but after around 95 per cent of 15-year-olds passed the tests in the first year of implementation they were stiffened up this year and it is claimed around 90 per cent of youngsters have failed this term. As a result a number of school and youth teams are struggling for numbers and games have been called off. David Blair, the president of Hawick PSA, the Scottish Youth Cup winners in 2004, denied speculation that his club was in talks with local rivals Hawick Wanderers, who won the national title in 2005, over a proposed merger as a result of the difficulties.

Blair told The Scotsman: "The Wanderers had to cancel a game because of a lack of players and we're having problems, but while I would not give a club comment right now my personal opinion is that I don't think either club wants to go down that (merger] route because it would be to the detriment of Hawick rugby.

"But we do have a real problem. I went with six boys to be tested under the new system and only one passed, which was a surprise.

"Those boys are still training every week with us and are very good rugby players, but they can't play on a Saturday, and in order for us to make sure the rest of our boys can, and we get a game, we're having to play 17-year-olds who are less fit and strong, and not technically as good, but who don't have to be tested because of their age. That is more worrying for me. If this is happening across Scotland, we could have a lot more boys playing now who are not actually as strong and don't have the experience of areas like scrummaging as the younger lads because they haven't been playing at any level.

"Most of these boys will not go on to the senior game either because they aren't interested or are not good enough - we've had to persuade them to play. So, what will that do for bringing boys through to the club game?"

Blair's own son Gavin, is 15, stands 6ft 1in tall and weighs 12 and a half stones and trains regularly in the gym, but he was one of the five PSA players who failed the tests.Of seven Kelso Harlequins tested, five failed, and one Edinburgh independent school recently had ten out of 11 players fail the tests.

The SRU would not release figures on the number of games postponed nor the results of testing, but insisted the suggestion of a 90 per cent failure rate was "wholly inaccurate". Stressing the desire to improve safety in the sport, the spokesman confirmed that the union is to meet with Borders Semi Junior league officials to listen to concerns.

He said: "Player safety is of paramount importance to Scottish Rugby (SRU] at every level of the game and part of this is about ensuring that all boys play rugby with those of a similar age and physical maturity.

"The parameters of the physical maturity assessments are determined by the SCOT Group (Scottish Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeons) and were increased for the 2010/11 season in accordance with maturity assessments conducted on over 500 rugby-playing 15 year-old boys across Scotland, over the past year, supported by additional pilot research in selected schools.

"We recognise that this is new territory and, as more data becomes available, the "Are You Ready to Play Rugby?" policy will continue to evolve as Scottish Rugby seeks to uphold the values of safety and enjoyment in the game of rugby for all. The 'Are You Ready to Play Rugby?' policy has been applauded by academics, medical practitioners, the IRB and the wider rugby community."

Blair added: "Safety is paramount and we understand and support the union's efforts to make the game safer, but we are also asking for some common sense.

"We have a player who failed the assessment two weeks ago but his 16th birthday is in two weeks so he will be free to play then, for example, but others bigger and stronger must wait until their birthday.

"We are the only union in the UK taking this approach. The SRU have taken away from the clubs, schools and coaches the ability to drip-feed young boys into the system when the time is right.

"We don't want to work against the SRU, so hopefully, there is room for movement somewhere."