school rugby
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 11:20 am
Bought the paper today and read this article:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 78518.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Having boys, who have both had nasty injuries in the field of late, I can't help but wonder what we are doing it for? My middle son normally tackles safely and as far as possible considerately...there really is no need to throw people around, I have learned this from watching the biggest, strongest kid in the team, who is a fantastic player too, always taking a second to ensure wherever possible the boy he is currently lifting of his feet and thumping to the ground has a gentle landing.
Unfortunately when it gets wet, muddy, slippy and cold, boots start flying backwards, landings are no longer controlled, it becomes harder to move frozen fingers out of the way of oncoming studs.
Then there are always the thugs, that simply spend an hour having the whistle blown on them for inappropriate and violent contact...sometimes before the lad they are jumping on even has the ball or when the ball gas long flown up the pitch. They never seem to be sent off until serious damage is done though!
Perhaps schools should he looking more at calling games off in foul slippy weather?? Sometimes we feel that it's not cancelled, just to prove a point..."look how resilient our boys are, look how they carry on regardless, see how we are making men of them, pushing them against adversity."
One home game last year, where the rain was so cold and the mud so deep, some boys were being sick and others had mud in their eyes, up their noses and deep in their ears. My son cane up to me at half time and queried who was getting any pleasure from the game, he said all the players were hating it, the spectators were hating it, and could barely see anyway, so it was just the coaches, even then the opposition coach queried in a follow up e-mail why the game had proceeded!
So throughout your boys ks3/4 rugby career at school, they have nearly a 40% chance if serious injury across all levels and a 70% chance at top level.
To think I encourage them! Drive them miles, to get a boot in the face or sustain neck injuries equivalent to head on car collisions....why? What's worse is I always feel really proud of them for being so good at this basically stupid dangerous game too.... Gosh I hate myself for that!
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 78518.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Having boys, who have both had nasty injuries in the field of late, I can't help but wonder what we are doing it for? My middle son normally tackles safely and as far as possible considerately...there really is no need to throw people around, I have learned this from watching the biggest, strongest kid in the team, who is a fantastic player too, always taking a second to ensure wherever possible the boy he is currently lifting of his feet and thumping to the ground has a gentle landing.
Unfortunately when it gets wet, muddy, slippy and cold, boots start flying backwards, landings are no longer controlled, it becomes harder to move frozen fingers out of the way of oncoming studs.
Then there are always the thugs, that simply spend an hour having the whistle blown on them for inappropriate and violent contact...sometimes before the lad they are jumping on even has the ball or when the ball gas long flown up the pitch. They never seem to be sent off until serious damage is done though!
Perhaps schools should he looking more at calling games off in foul slippy weather?? Sometimes we feel that it's not cancelled, just to prove a point..."look how resilient our boys are, look how they carry on regardless, see how we are making men of them, pushing them against adversity."
One home game last year, where the rain was so cold and the mud so deep, some boys were being sick and others had mud in their eyes, up their noses and deep in their ears. My son cane up to me at half time and queried who was getting any pleasure from the game, he said all the players were hating it, the spectators were hating it, and could barely see anyway, so it was just the coaches, even then the opposition coach queried in a follow up e-mail why the game had proceeded!
So throughout your boys ks3/4 rugby career at school, they have nearly a 40% chance if serious injury across all levels and a 70% chance at top level.
To think I encourage them! Drive them miles, to get a boot in the face or sustain neck injuries equivalent to head on car collisions....why? What's worse is I always feel really proud of them for being so good at this basically stupid dangerous game too.... Gosh I hate myself for that!