Six Nations opponents will feature with South Africa in a daunting pool in France but this jeopardy is no bad thingWith Ireland potentially able to clinch the Six Nations title and Scotland targeting the triple crown, there is enough riding on next weekend’s fixture at Murrayfield without the need to add to the narrative. Still, the subsequent meeting between the two sides on the horizon – in Pool B of the 2023 World Cup in October – is unmissable.Given Scotland’s upward trajectory, Ireland’s unerring consistency and South Africa’s enduring pedigree, not to mention Tonga’s ability to ruffle feathers, that particular pool is increasingly looking shark-infested. As this Six Nations has worn on, there have been numerous suggestions that it is...
The latest conference, dominated by sceptics of recent research, will do nothing to bring clarity to the CTE debateAnother week, another conference. This one was organised by World Rugby and, like the last, which was organised by the Concussion in Sport Group, it was held in Amsterdam. World Rugby’s chief medical officer, Dr Éanna Falvey, explained that the aim was “to evaluate the latest research and focus on where we might need to focus funding to continue to fill the gaps in our collective knowledge”. There was a lot on the agenda: a session on instrumented mouth guards, a workshop on laws and player welfare, and, first thing in the morning, a series of talks on brain health and chronic...
Dr Paul McCrory’s work shaped concussion policy across global sport for the past 20 years – but organisations have been misledThe words land with a slap. “There is no scientific evidence that sustaining several concussions over a sporting career will necessarily result in permanent damage.” They are from a December 2001 editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, called “When to retire after concussion?”It goes on to say that it is “neuromythology” that a player ought to retire after suffering multiple brain injuries. “The unstated fear behind this approach is that an athlete suffering repeated concussions will suffer a gradual cognitive decline similar to the so called punch-drunk syndrome or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy seen in boxers. Based on published...
New eligibility rules are not without risk but they offer players new pathways and reflect the reality of multiple identitiesWhen World Rugby announced that eligibility laws would be changing this week I found myself joking that I’m actually available to play for Nigeria now. Joking because it’s just a little bit too late in the day for me – I’m not sure I’d be selected! – but it got me thinking whether there is something I can do to help grow and develop the sport in a country I have huge affection for, the place where it all started for me.I hope I’m not the only one because the change opens up so many possibilities for current players but also...
Administrators need to realise that the way rugby is marketed needs to change beginning with a calendar that works for allThe truth can be elusive in rugby union. Even in exceptionally unstable times there will always be those who dismiss it as simply a bit of light turbulence. So things must be serious when those with extensive knowledge of the game’s economics publicly query its future as a global professional sport unless its administrators wake up to the onrushing reality.Over in Japan some believe it may already be too late, regardless of the post-coronavirus landscape. With 30 years of experience in sports marketing worldwide, Robert Maes knows his subject and says rugby union’s rulers need to wise up.“The players are...