Rugby & injuries

[AVB]

I do miss the days when the loose head called the scrum with a simple sit.....and hit, but there's no doubt that scrummaging these days is a lot safer and a lot less fun

Ah yes. I played both side of the scrum. I was probably better at lose and can probably count on one hand the number of times a TH got the better of me but I actually enjoyed playing TH more. I got dominated more often but found it a more confrontational position. The satisfaction you got from taking the LHs arm and hearing him squeal.

 

But as you say safer nowadays!

[welshwarrior]

Come guy get out of cotton wool it's safer now yes but I'd still have played as I did until I had kids and lost my free time to train.

 

A Battlion player in the army I trained every day played a game every other week.

 

At school I played over my age group through out but I will admit to being bigger than average 6" and 13 stone at 14

 

Most summers I either played 7s or latter rugby league (loved the contact side hate the scrums)

 

I lost a friend in South Africa to a spear tackle broken neck die in hospital.

 

Very proud of my boy playing under 7s even got player of the week this week.

[Fatcatsplat]

Ah yes. I played both side of the scrum. I was probably better at lose and can probably count on one hand the number of times a TH got the better of me but I actually enjoyed playing TH more. I got dominated more often but found it a more confrontational position. The satisfaction you got from taking the LHs arm and hearing him squeal.

 

But as you say safer nowadays!

I was a hooker on and off, but my legs were never really long enough to hook the ball, so I propped more. I loved loose - I always thought it was a great position to mess the other prop about, but I was in a club where everyone wanted to be a loosehead, so I switched to tight and a whole new world opened up - It was more the back muscles than neck and you could mess about with at least 2 players rather than just the 1. You could really annoy the scrum half if you hooked the ball out of his hands when he presented it, or bound over the hookers hand so he couldn't signal for the put in or just split the loose and hooker.

 

You saying about the loosehead's arm and making him squeal, these used to be a tighthead played for Saffron Walden who had stupid long fingernails and would bind on the arm and dig them in the underarm quite annoyingly - Would have deep red welts for a couple of weeks.

[rimfire4969]

I have played rugby and football, worst injury I got was playing football.

 

My son has played rugby from tag rugby about 7 years old and is now playing colts. A couple of knocks but nothing bad. I think the players now are fitter, stronger and faster than when I was playing.

[AVB]

Come guy get out of cotton wool it's safer now yes but I'd still have played as I did until I had kids and lost my free time to train.

 

A Battlion player in the army I trained every day played a game every other week.

 

At school I played over my age group through out but I will admit to being bigger than average 6" and 13 stone at 14

 

Most summers I either played 7s or latter rugby league (loved the contact side hate the scrums)

 

I lost a friend in South Africa to a spear tackle broken neck die in hospital.

 

Very proud of my boy playing under 7s even got player of the week this week.

 

 

But I am not sure it is safer now. When 25% of the boys have injuries that are preventing them from playing I can't see how it can be. I think the point raised about the amount that is being played is possibly the cause of the spike. I love rugby but if my son wasn't keen to play then I wouldn't push him. Mind you this is the first year that he has shown any enthusiasm since breaking his arm quite badly 4 years ago in a training session at school.

 

 

I was a hooker on and off, but my legs were never really long enough to hook the ball, so I propped more. I loved loose - I always thought it was a great position to mess the other prop about, but I was in a club where everyone wanted to be a loosehead, so I switched to tight and a whole new world opened up - It was more the back muscles than neck and you could mess about with at least 2 players rather than just the 1. You could really annoy the scrum half if you hooked the ball out of his hands when he presented it, or bound over the hookers hand so he couldn't signal for the put in or just split the loose and hooker.

 

You saying about the loosehead's arm and making him squeal, these used to be a tighthead played for Saffron Walden who had stupid long fingernails and would bind on the arm and dig them in the underarm quite annoyingly - Would have deep red welts for a couple of weeks.

 

 

We digress but I can't help it.

 

I used to try to bind on the armpit and grabbing a handful of armpit hair helped! Or I would bind over the arm and grab the flankers hair if it was long enough. Only when the ref was on the other side of course.

Stopping the hooker from signalling was a sure way to start a fight. Unless they didn't have the bottle for it. In which case you had an easy day at the coalface pulling every trick under the sun.

 

I played for some time in Singapore and HK which was a competitive level with lots of UK/Oz/Kiwi and Saffa expats. The locals were soft though. In the UK I played for Bishop's Stortford for two spells and Maldon inbetween. So if you played against SW we must have been in the same leagues at some point.

 

Ah those were the days. I have been looking at Golden Oldies rugby but I am not sure there is anything locally.

[welshwarrior]

AVB Fatcatsplat how old are you I played for Sudbury for a bit.

[welshwarrior]

It's safer because they are on the side line not playing injured not play a game Wednesday Friday Saturday like we did.

 

So teams will still over play players and allow old bad habits to continue but in general we the rugby community is improving player welfare is much improved.

[AVB]

AVB Fatcatsplat how old are you I played for Sudbury for a bit.

 

 

54. I Played for Maldon I think 1985-1994. Sudbury were doing well in those years. I think they have fallen back a lot since.

[shalfordninja33]

My farther played scrum half for Braintree town around that time.

 

On Saturdays Me, my mum and sister would watch the second half and the the kids would play together in the club house after. As I grew up I was allowed half a lager and a seat with the big boys!

[shalfordninja33]

AVB Fatcatsplat how old are you I played for Sudbury for a bit.

54. I Played for Maldon I think 1985-1994. Sudbury were doing well in those years. I think they have fallen back a lot since.

 

My dad was 65 this year. He played for Braintree firsts for what felt like a lifetime. He wasn't the biggest on the pitch but he was certainly the loudest!

[welshwarrior]

 

 

54. I Played for Maldon I think 1985-1994. Sudbury were doing well in those years. I think they have fallen back a lot since.

I started 96 and stopped 1999 we went up a lot of leagues they now have a lovely now ground clubhouse etc but aren't playing good rugby from what I hear.

[Scully]

I strongly believe rugby builds character, but attribute niggling neck pain to injuries I received while playing for my school team in the 70s,

but can totally understand the viewpoint of Kyska, and I was therefore quite relieved when my son decided he no longer wanted to play.

[Cranfield]

 

 

This cracks me up. I stand on the sidelines with other dad's who played rugby well into their thirties and they all tell me their joints are all knackered and here's me who has never done a proper days sport in my life and everything works perfectly (I've taken up mountain biking in my 40's but it's only high impact if you fall off ). However knowing what they do I am amazed they let their children play.

 

There are other sports which have less chance of injuries, encourage teamwork, discipline and camaraderie such as rowing etc. My concern is that in Scotland players play in an age group rather than by weight. One team turned up for a match and when the coach saw the size of the opposing team he refused to let his team play. A wise move. A friend who played for the first team at school, was about 17 stone at his peak and was constantly injured is very happy both his kids refuse to play rugby

 

I am not sure what was in my post you quoted that cracks you up.

Perhaps I should add that we have two daughters, neither plays or played rugby, (but both can shoot and cast a line) and if we had a son I would have dissuaded him from playing rugby.

[Mice!]

AVB, have a look for masters rugby league, there is a southern team that travel about.

 

For those interested in concussion, watch collision? With will smith good film raising some thorny points.

 

Don't forget the amount of fun you have growing up playing rugby or other team sports, while yes you can get injuries and there have been deaths, two that I know of this year at amateur rugby league, one a kid the other open age. You can get injured doing pretty much anything.

 

Think back to being 17/18 playing on a Sunday then going for a few beers till 3pm, pubs shut so home for Sunday lunch then back out for 7 till they shut at ten, the open all day killed Sundays, happy days indeed.

 

Silly me film is concussion.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Mice!

[Bigbob]

I work as security at a uni and i was training a new female officer up driving round in the van and she commented i want to escort a ambulance in i had no sooner said be careful what you wish for as there usually a pain in the *** , and the radio goes ambulance on route to the sports center so we pick it up at the roundabout on the main road and escort it to the playing fields theres a young rugby player with a broken leg his foots facing the wrong way . then the radio goes Ambulance on route to the sports center i queried it saying its already here but there was another called due to two players bumping heads and one getting concussion . Filled in a Saturday afternoon but after looking at the guys leg i dont think she wanted to escort any more ambulances in a hurry

[spanj]

And hence why my boys won't be playing rugby, might as well just kick wheat out of them in the garage then I don't need to stand in a wet field watching someone else do it.

 

Before you all start, I don't care.

 

I've already had the 'bit of a pussy are your lads then?' 'Makes them real men', 'ballet dancers then?' In the pub from moronic, arrogant fathers.

 

There is a safeguarding issue if young people, with developing bone structures and developing brains are getting concussions, broken limbs and ligament injuries that will haunt them for life

I'm a moronic, arrogant father, clearly not the only one by the tone of your post. I know you are some sort of medical professional but this obsession with dictating what can and cannot be done while young, under the guise of safeguarding is insane. What about the good aspects of the sport; physical effort, teamwork, team spirit, honest competition. Do they count for nothing. Surely you dont want to see generation after generation of couch potatoes who live forever adding to the already creaking NHS ?

Edited October 16, 2017 by spanj

[JimLondon]

I'm a moronic, arrogant father, clearly not the only one by the tone of your post. I know you are some sort of medical professional but this obsession with dictating what can and cannot be done while young, under the guise of safeguarding is insane. What about the good aspects of the sport; physical effort, teamwork, team spirit, honest competition. Do they count for nothing. Surely you dont want to see generation after generation of couch potatoes who live forever adding to the already creaking NHS ?

Let me get this straight, when you say your a moronic arrogant father do you mean you have a go at someone and belittle he's children because he doesn't want them to get hurt playing a sport. Is it really insane for a father to safeguard he's children.

[kyska]

I'm a moronic, arrogant father, clearly not the only one by the tone of your post. I know you are some sort of medical professional but this obsession with dictating what can and cannot be done while young, under the guise of safeguarding is insane. What about the good aspects of the sport; physical effort, teamwork, team spirit, honest competition. Do they count for nothing. Surely you dont want to see generation after generation of couch potatoes who live forever adding to the already creaking NHS ?

How ironic

[Yellow Bear]

How ironic

Ironic or not I have often wondered what proportion of the NHS budget is spent on "sports injuries" and the ongoing effect of such which includes in some cases weight problems due to difficulty exercising.

[Fatcatsplat]

50 this year - Played for Upper Clapton up until 40 with the occasional appearance for Old Cooperians vets. Played Stortford a hell of a lot (Remember one of your lower teams had a one armed prop for a while!!), so we probably have come across each other on the pitch

[kyska]

Ironic or not I have often wondered what proportion of the NHS budget is spent on "sports injuries" and the ongoing effect of such which includes in some cases weight problems due to difficulty exercising.

As I said in my initial post, I don't care. If people want their kids to play rugby, that their choice, as is mine that I don't want mine to.

 

My kids are lithe and healthy, active, bright and appreciate teamwork and I've managed to keep them in this state all without playing rugby. 🙄

[AVB]

As I said in my initial post, I don't care. If people want their kids to play rugby, that their choice, as is mine that I don't want mine to.

 

My kids are lithe and healthy, active, bright and appreciate teamwork and I've managed to keep them in this state all without playing rugby.

 

 

Some people seem to think that Rugby is the only sport that benefits children! Out of interest are the school appreciative of your wishes? I don't know how my son's school would deal with a parent who sighed to withdraw their son from rugby. They don't get the chance to opt out until next year (15) I think.

[Yellow Bear]

As I said in my initial post, I don't care. If people want their kids to play rugby, that their choice, as is mine that I don't want mine to.

 

My kids are lithe and healthy, active, bright and appreciate teamwork and I've managed to keep them in this state all without playing rugby.

It was not a pop but a genuine question and not specific to Rugby - I remember a few years back a relative that is an orthopedic surgeon watching "joggers" go by and rubbing his hands saying there goes my pension fund. We hear a lot about the so called "obesity epidemic" costing so much but how much is the "fitness epidemic" costing? Personally I have shot knees and shoulders, partially from rugby/training and partially from work.

Edited October 17, 2017 by Yellow Bear

[AVB]

50 this year - Played for Upper Clapton up until 40 with the occasional appearance for Old Cooperians vets. Played Stortford a hell of a lot (Remember one of your lower teams had a one armed prop for a while!!), so we probably have come across each other on the pitch

 

You had that clubhouse with a nice roaring log fire. I got knocked out once playing there and vaguely remember sitting around the fire with a cup of sweet tea to revive me. Do you know John Hunt who played there for many years.

[Fatcatsplat]

 

You had that clubhouse with a nice roaring log fire. I got knocked out once playing there and vaguely remember sitting around the fire with a cup of sweet tea to revive me. Do you know John Hunt who played there for many years.

Know John very well - Have toured with him several times - His club nickname is Shrek!

 

Clubhouse has been rebuilt now - The old one was basically a very big WW2 RAF hut, but it did have a lovely big open fire, where you could jump from the 10 foot mantelpiece when suitably lubricated and a great big bath that could fit 30 blokes and a couple of cases of Abbot ale!