Would you want your children to play rugby?
The new Will Smith film Concussion centres around head injuries in the NFL, and the sharp decrease in the quality of life of footballers once they retire.
The issue is one that’s certainly as relevant to rugby players, who will often suffer a series of concussions and head injuries throughout a long career – starting at a very young age.
Research conducted by the Ulster University revealed that one in five schoolboy rugby injuries are head injuries – a very worrying statistic for any young rugby player or parent. The most common sites of injury were the head, shoulder and knee.
The data was taken from the the 2014/2015 schoolboy season in Northern Ireland, with 426 injuries studied. 204 of these injuries required a month or more spent on the sidelines.
According to The Irish Times, the research also suggested that protective headgear did not offer much protection from these injuries.
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