Rugby safety - the RFU's new youth plan

Has mini and youth rugby become too competitive? Samantha Laurie explores the RFU’s bold new plan for a safer, more inclusive game

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First it was a broken nose. Then his leg was fractured in a tackle. Finally, aged 16 he suffered a badly shattered cheekbone. It was enough for Professor Allyson Pollock, a prominent public health doctor, to call an end to her son’s rugby career.

In her book published last year, Tackling Rugby: What Every Parent Should Know she found a typical schoolboy has a one in six chance of an injury that would keep him off the pitch for a week. Amongst the most committed players at her son’s school (the boys in the first and second XVs) 70% had experienced a serious injury – a concussion, fracture or ligament tear – during their five years at school.

Whilst research from rugby authorities suggests the game at the highest amateur levels is not getting more dangerous, there is little doubt that the beefed-up physicality of the professional game is trickling down. For a parent like me, with a 14-year-old playing in an age group marked by extreme physical disparity (six-footers versus tiny lightweights) weighing up the real benefits of fitness, camaraderie and discipline against the risks of serious injury is a tough call.

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So the news that the Rugby Football Union is taking radical steps to take the heat out of the junior game by delaying the introduction of intense competition to focus instead on skills and development comes as a breath of fresh thinking.

After four years in the design, the RFU’s Age Grade Competition Review will come into force next year.

Mark Saltmarsh, Head of Education Development, explains: “The current system has become too focused on what adults want. Our research tells us that it is not until players reach secondary school that winning becomes a driver. Much more important for younger players is being on the pitch, being with friends, playing regularly, and above all having fun.”

The game that kids watch on TV is not the same as the youth game, insists the RFU; younger players need a modern approach, adapted for their age and maturity. In essence this means a more gradual introduction to contact rugby, delayed starts to the 15-a-side game and competitive line-outs, no pushing in scrums before U13s, more opportunities for all to play more regularly.

In addition comes an overhaul of the competitive diet, with no overall winner festivals replacing tournaments for U7s-U11s, no formal league rugby before U15s, less representative selection and more co-ordination between clubs and schools and colleges to combat the intensive overplaying of the best players.

Too much focus on competition has led to “a noticeable deterioration in touchline and on-pitch behaviour” says Saltmarsh. Moreover it has created an unacceptable imbalance in participation, with better players getting overplayed and the rest standing on the touchlines. 

“As soon as there is something attached to winning, the approach to training and playing inevitably changes. This can also have an impact on levels of safe practice.”

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It’s a bold overhaul and opponents have been vociferous. Surrey Rugby, one of the RFU’s largest constituent bodies, unveiling its plans last season for ‘no winners, no scoring’ festivals encountered such opposition from local clubs that it was forced to backtrack.

Yet the game’s biggest hitters are on side. Says World Cup winner Phil Vickery: “Rugby is a competitive sport and a great lesson for life in learning to win and lose. While this should always be the case, we can’t let it get in the way of every young player being safe and no matter how good they are, having an equal chance to play and enjoy the game. If we get that right the cream will rise to the top and competitive spirit will develop naturally.”

Getting more children to play, especially in state schools, and keeping them playing when they hit the critical drop off in their late teens are the RFU’s biggest challenges. Neither will happen unless the safety issues raised by the likes of Professor Pollock are addressed.

Most injuries in rugby happen during the tackle, with more affecting the tackler than the tackled. The majority take place late in the game. The best way to control this is through good training, better conditioning and strong refereeing. Bringing skills-based training to the fore, promoting technique and intelligence over size and athleticism and continuing the belt and braces approach to concussion are the best possible way to create a safer game. 

The RFU may still have a multitude of practical concerns to resolve but in intention and ambition its plan sounds like a blueprint for a better youth game.

You can read more about the Age Grade Competition Review online