Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

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LE18
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by LE18 »

jgriffin wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 1:26 pm
LE18 wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 1:15 pm Lewis Moody, in todays Telegraph, says he would not change his decision to play rugby, he went into it knowing full well it was a contact sport, which begs the devil advocates question, do guys have a legal claim, or will this fact be the defence of clubs and authorities and a verdict of no case to answer? :smt017 Perhaps that's why Lewis got the "Mad Dog" nickname.
The game that Moody went into is not the game he was in by 2003.A few years earlier, the only injuries a back would get was brainfreeze (if your 10 thought he was Rob Andrew) or dandruff from a poor choice in hair products. If forwards got injured it wasn't from speedily arriving at a ruck and diving in - just watch the speed of games in the second half!
RU needed to depower the RL style defences and equally not go into the jackalling route. Studs across your back better than a flying shoulder to the head!
So if Moody's era was different, why is Thomson, Hazell etc any more relevant?
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by kk20gb30 »

I think that the game (how it is played and refereed) is going to be forced into changes , with training also coming into focus together with how youngsters are taught to play.There is no denying that the intention with regard to player welfare ,care and safety has improved but only time can bring with it greater understanding and perhaps a greater knowledge of consequences.
One thing I believe certain , is that should theses legal cases prove successful they are going to be merely the tip of the iceberg.
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by Tigerbeat »

It would appear that the players concerned are from a previous era. I believe that the game has moved on and is now addressing the head injuries with more processes and protocol in place.
Previously players may have played on having taken a knock whereas now they have the Head injury Assessments and in some cases where they fail cannot return to the game until they have passed all the requirements.
George North and Dylan Hartley are examples of players who have taken knocks and have had long lay offs.
Anything that can be done to prevent long lasting damage through head injuries can only be good for the game but needs to be enforced consistently.
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by Cardiff Tig »

You could argue that George North is a great example of rugby not caring enough about players...
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by Robespierre »

I have read an article saying that there will be much fewer children taking up the sport as parents react to all this bad press. If I were a father I would certainly not encourage my son to take up rugby unless the necessary changes are brought about. I shudder when I see players flying into rucks to prevent the opposition stealing the ball. It’s downright dangerous.
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by SthrnTiger »

Robespierre wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:02 am I have read an article saying that there will be much fewer children taking up the sport as parents react to all this bad press. If I were a father I would certainly not encourage my son to take up rugby unless the necessary changes are brought about. I shudder when I see players flying into rucks to prevent the opposition stealing the ball. It’s downright dangerous.
Undoubtedly this is true will also mean even more unlikely to be played in schools and hamper rugby’s desire to appeal to wider audience.

When I was at school ~20 years ago my school stopped playing rugby in P.E. and disbanded the school team and I believe same happened at many other state schools. This news will reduce amount of rugby played in schools even more (and sadly possibly rightly so).
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by jgriffin »

Robespierre wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:02 am I have read an article saying that there will be much fewer children taking up the sport as parents react to all this bad press. If I were a father I would certainly not encourage my son to take up rugby unless the necessary changes are brought about. I shudder when I see players flying into rucks to prevent the opposition stealing the ball. It’s downright dangerous.
This should not happen anyway. It is WR and the refs who need to revert to the Law and enforce it.
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by Scott1 »

Like boxing the care and safety of he players/fighters has come a long way. Gone are the sad days of McClellan and Watson. I still look at North’s incidents and Smith v the Lions and shudder though! Do we need to be even stricter and like boxing hand out mandatory no contact bans as well as using the return to protocol procedures? Say,mandatory 45 day ban with no contact for failing a HIA,maybe even 90? I don’t want this to sound the wrong way but like boxing,when you take up the sports you know what you’re getting yourself in to. That doesn’t mean we can’t make both sports as safe as possible but I would hate to end up with a version of tag. Thoughts?
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by Scott1 »

Don’t forget too that players are purposely fiddling their baseline tests so if they do get concussed the HIA tests dont look that bad! That’s why I believe mandatory bans would be better regardless
"Rugby isn't a contact sport,ballroom dancing is a contact sport. Rugby is a collision sport" Heyneke Meyer
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by TigerFeetSteve »

Scott1 wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:43 am Don’t forget too that players are purposely fiddling their baseline tests so if they do get concussed the HIA tests dont look that bad! That’s why I believe mandatory bans would be better regardless
Are they, risky, imagine you fiddle the test, then take a knock, every time you're not concussed do you try and "refiddle" or do you go as good as you can? I think if players always did better on the test than baseline questions would be asked.

Also that takes liability from the governing body and onto the player. (ie no lawsuits for these guys)

Anybody wilfully doing this would be eligible for some pretty hefty bans too.
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

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VernonAtrium
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by VernonAtrium »

I suppose the equivalent for fans' brain damage is not buying a season ticket.
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by kk20gb30 »

Apparently , no formal contact has been made by parties concerned :

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/rugby-fo ... ce-claims/
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by jgriffin »

While I think the game desperately needs changing (largely back) with also a 'tackle band' on jerseys either at nipple height or indeed waist, I would also note that the prominent academic parties concerned are those (Scots based) who campaigned via the media several years ago to ban rugby for not just youngsters.
The RFU should take a lead here. The game has become stultified - as we on here have often noted - and the injury potential increased massively with professionalism (and the size obsession of England and other national managers from Cooke etc onwards). I would hope this is the kick up the jacksie needed to get rid of the 'breakdown' and the repetitive charging that must be causing a lot of damage, and increase playing time by using stoppages for kicks, scrums etc.
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Re: Rugby players to sue for brain damage!

Post by TigerFeetSteve »

jgriffin wrote: Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:48 am While I think the game desperately needs changing (largely back) with also a 'tackle band' on jerseys either at nipple height or indeed waist, I would also note that the prominent academic parties concerned are those (Scots based) who campaigned via the media several years ago to ban rugby for not just youngsters.
The RFU should take a lead here. The game has become stultified - as we on here have often noted - and the injury potential increased massively with professionalism (and the size obsession of England and other national managers from Cooke etc onwards). I would hope this is the kick up the jacksie needed to get rid of the 'breakdown' and the repetitive charging that must be causing a lot of damage, and increase playing time by using stoppages for kicks, scrums etc.
Whilst I think a "nipple line" on the shirts is ok but in reality different body shapes means this could be at a few different points on different players. Would certainly need some regulations around as shirt manufacturers may be trying to eek their teams line as low as possible.
Used to run around with an 11, 14 or 15 on my back.
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