simonokeeffe wrote:Jonathan Thomas forced to retire due to head injuries, was diagnosed with epilepsy (from head knocks which I didnt know was possible) last season
And now a week later Kevin McLoughlin retires for similar reasons.
No one really gave a shite when Jonathan Thomas retired. I mean we all sympathized and there was the odd article but there was no real call to action. I presume the same will happen with Kev's retirement.
The players are getting bigger and faster so the collissions are becoming more violent. Medical protocols are good and will help to identify when the damage is being and has been done but no one seems to be trying to reduce the chances of concussions occurring.
simonokeeffe wrote:Jonathan Thomas forced to retire due to head injuries, was diagnosed with epilepsy (from head knocks which I didnt know was possible) last season
And now a week later Kevin McLoughlin retires for similar reasons.
No one really gave a shite when Jonathan Thomas retired. I mean we all sympathized and there was the odd article but there was no real call to action. I presume the same will happen with Kev's retirement.
The players are getting bigger and faster so the collissions are becoming more violent. Medical protocols are good and will help to identify when the damage is being and has been done but no one seems to be trying to reduce the chances of concussions occurring.
Because its an impossibility,its a contact sport, concussions are inevitable
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There's work being done on it. I would say that it's very easy to improve things without changing the game too much so don't know what's taking World Rugby so long. Somewhere along the way they dropped the ball by focusing too much on the treatment of players who were concussed instead of preventing it in the first place but I think there are things they could implement overnight and improve things quite drastically.
Just to clarify, the treatment of players is obviously hugely important, but when this first reared its head a few years ago there was a big fight about the concussion protocols and it seemed like sorting that out was enough.
Haven't seen it yet but there was a Panorama special on rugby and concussion last night.
Prevention or reduction, as has been said, is the key.
The rugby authorities have to identify what elements of the game are causing the most concussions.
They need to get professional bean counters in to establish where and when the damage is being done.
They game has been speeded up to make it more entertaining.
Speed kills - As someone pointed out a long time ago, it's not the fall that kills, it's the sudden stop at the end.
There is plenty of evidence from car crash dummy tests to give an indication of the amount of damage that can be done to the brain in a rugby collision.
There is no excuse for pleading ignorance.
There is no easy solution, there may be no 100% solution but the rugby world needs to find ways to mitigate the damage being done.
For example and this is a bit way out. but I've seen players getting concussed as a result of bad tackling technique.
Maybe professional players need to be licensed to play the game with the emphasis initially being safety based.
EG - If your tackling technique doesn't past muster you don't get licensed.
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simonokeeffe wrote:Jonathan Thomas forced to retire due to head injuries, was diagnosed with epilepsy (from head knocks which I didnt know was possible) last season
And now a week later Kevin McLoughlin retires for similar reasons.
No one really gave a shite when Jonathan Thomas retired. I mean we all sympathized and there was the odd article but there was no real call to action. I presume the same will happen with Kev's retirement.
The players are getting bigger and faster so the collissions are becoming more violent. Medical protocols are good and will help to identify when the damage is being and has been done but no one seems to be trying to reduce the chances of concussions occurring.
Youve got a world cup on and neither were frontline internationals, OTB had Thomas on and it was very interesting
again though, just to bust a misnomer thats out there but we'd know about, thats 2 players who always wore headgear
Retired from babbling. Can be found on twittter @okeeffesimon
Most concussion injuries seem to be head collisions or knee hitting head during tackle so how do you sort that out? The other that can happen is feet taking a swipe at the ball in rucks which is pretty easy to prevent, just change laws to no hacking at the ball on the ground when a player is on the floor
rooster wrote:Most concussion injuries seem to be head collisions or knee hitting head during tackle so how do you sort that out? The other that can happen is feet taking a swipe at the ball in rucks which is pretty easy to prevent, just change laws to no hacking at the ball on the ground when a player is on the floor
first one is tricky, second one youre spot on
Retired from babbling. Can be found on twittter @okeeffesimon
The panorama documentary said that World Rugby are reviewing over 900 videos of concussion incidents and will make some changes based on them.
It also alluded to something that Hugonaut mentioned in another thread, that repeated head knocks are the big issue, and that only one in ten concussions result in a loss of consciousness. So basically, it's not necessarily the high profile George North being sparked out kind of incidents that are the big worry, but a repeated head knock like you'd see at scrum time or just from general tackling.
I've always thought that simple changes could see a dramatic reduction in the number of bad incidents, but that makes me very concerned. Thinking about it now, I'd often feel a bit ropey even after making a technically sound tackle from side on.
The most important change has already occurred. Players at Pro-game and every serious level now acknowledge the seriousness of a head injury and are prepared to immediately accept the need for a "head test".
Since the first collision in rugby until about 6 months ago, players always acted macho about a 'knock on the head'. Now that the players who are the role models have accepted that such injuries need assessment and possible treatment, there will be (or has been) an increase in the number of reported 'head injuries / concussions'. This is not to say their are more concussions or collisions, only that they are now being acknowledged.
Improvement in tackling technique is the next required improvement. Players and coaches can work on this from an early age.
Proper treatment, primarily R and R, is the key element to ensure that concussion does not become the hallmark of the first generation of professional rugby
There is a distinct possibility that the problems at professional level are only the tip of the iceberg, and that concussion at the sub-elite level is an even greater issue. In terms of legal liability clubs and schools will have to exercise a very high level of vigilance as no institution can claim ignorance of the issue at this stage.
rooster wrote:Most concussion injuries seem to be head collisions or knee hitting head during tackle so how do you sort that out? The other that can happen is feet taking a swipe at the ball in rucks which is pretty easy to prevent, just change laws to no hacking at the ball on the ground when a player is on the floor
On the first point, this is probably down to bad tackle technique. I think a penalty/yellow card should be awarded against a player that has committed a tackle that is deemed dangerous to either the tackler or tackled player. If a player tackles with his head on the wrong side then that should be a penalty or even a yellow card.
Similar should apply to the tackled player. If a player with a ball goes into a tackle that is deemed dangerous to either player then that should also be penalised.
simonokeeffe wrote:Other people have mentioned this but a good idea would be to penalise tackling with the head on the wrong side in Junior rugby
I think this is a great idea. For a team to be successful Coaches must train and players must learn to tackle both sides. If you dont players can only tackle roughly 50% of the time. So good technique or lots of trys either way it works.
I have seen guys doing tackle training encouraged to hit hard all the time so never working on technique or weak side just smashing bags and guys in tackle suits.
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