http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ru...re-the-season-to-tackle-serious-injuries.html
Some good point made.
Some good point made.
-
Help Support The Rugby Forum :
Healey's view on cutting down injuries in rugby.
- Thread starter LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)
- Start date
Excellent but too many vested interests to stand any chance!!
goodNumber10
International
yeah, would be happy with all of that
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Messages
- 13,679
- Reaction score
- 10,547
I think in particular a way to make atheleticism more important than bulk would do a lot to help reduce injuries. I think his suggestions about reducing the dead ball time makes sense, sort of like the "use it" rule scrum halves have to follow now (very rarely enforced though, you have to be a complete idiot to get caught by that.) Some sort of equivalent for other set piece both with regards to getting to the set piece and taking it, with the referee giving a warning beforehand if he thinks either team is being slow. Maybe rather than reversing the pentalty, apply a 10m penalty to the team taking it yet let them still take it. If they still are being slow, another 10m.
One of the problems I see with trying to quicken scrum engages, is simply that it's a bit unsafe. The reason scrums often take so long to set is because if something goes wrong it's players necks literally on the line. We're never going back to the days where props are 80 or so kgs, so it's still difficult to try rush set piece moves and hope it comes down to safety. It's also funny that it seems that all the quickening of set pieces are forward targeted - most centers are near enough 100kgs these days..(the guys who do nothing for most of the time while the 'unfit' forwards are scrumming, lifting etc)...I'm not convinced it will realistically make any difference either, league has bugger all set pieces and is not really stop start - are collisions in rugby league realistically any less physical than union?
The NFL style.
Agreed with this.
You cannot rush a scrum. The worst retirement from rugby going around right now is Matt Hampson. He was victim of a freak accident - rugby must always ensure such accidents remain freak.
The New Zealand test team play the game at a phenomenal pace already. They're a bit leaner than most teams but not to any appreciable difference. Collisions with Kaino or Nonu are unlikely to get any less dangerous for such a rule change and that is the standard we can expect. A different example - Courtney Lawes is one of the most dangerous tacklers around and I don't think anyone could say seriously say he's some massively anaerobic musclebound freak. As noted, Rugby League has zero resting time like Union has, and their collisions are simply insane.
Less time spent in the set pieces is probably good but it's not going to produce a new regime of smaller guys who play safer rugby.
