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School rugby and rugby at all levels has come a long way in terms of safety and injury prevention and rugby has indeed never been safer.
According to Professor Tim Noakes, of the Sport Science Institute of South Africa, the prevalence of neck injuries has decreased in recent years and the management of injured players has also improved.
New scrum laws to make amateur rugby safer have come into effect at both club and schools level this season. “There are relatively few of these kinds of (scrum) injuries in the game when taking into account the number of hours spent playing rugby on any given day in SA,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SARU. “Nonetheless, by reducing the impact on engagement, and limiting the risk of scrum collapse with these law modifications, this should considerably lower the risk of sustaining such an injury in the scrums.”
Reducing catastrophic concussions
SARU’s innovative BokSmart programme is aimed predominantly at reducing the incidence of serious and catastrophic concussion, head, neck and spine rugby injuries associated with the game, and has played a significant role in facilitating many of these positive changes regarding safety.
“As a coach, your first priority has always to be the player and his or her safety, and it doesn’t matter at which level of the game it is,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer. “BokSmart provides a lot of necessary knowledge for coaches at both professional and amateur level. Making the game we all love safer at all levels, is very important if we are going to grow rugby in South Africa.”
What can you do as a parent to help keep your child safe?
1. Make sure your school coach is BokSmart certified: The BokSmart certification is compulsory for anybody who wants to coach or referee rugby in South Africa at any level and the course is free of charge. Knowing your child’s coach has been educated on rugby safety matters can give you great peace of mind.
2. Make sure your child’s school meets the necessary minimum medical requirements: The BokSmart programme provides plenty of information on what needs to be in place before matches can take place. Hold your child’s school accountable to meet these requirements on every match day.
3. Warm up properly: Many injuries can occur if players don’t spend enough time and effort warming up properly. If your child’s team does not warm-up properly before matches or practices, it may be worth discussing with the coach.
4. Always consult experts such as sports doctors, physiotherapists or biokineticists if you suspect your child might be injured, and follow the appropriate medical advice.
Many boys with compelling injuries often play matches against their doctors' advice at the insistence of their parents or coaches. Give the injury time to heal properly, and do not return to play too soon; this can potentially get you re-injured, end your season and be detrimental to your team’s performance on the day.
5. Educate yourself on correct injury prevention, treatment and management practices, especially when it concerns concussions or the head and neck area.
There is loads of information on these topics available to read up on, on the BokSmart website – www.boksmart.com – and they are free. If a child is knocked unconscious, even just for a split second, sending them back into the fray can have very serious consequences. If in doubt sit the player out. When a player is on the deck, think about the neck!
Remove them from the field, according to protocol, get them to the doctor and follow the necessary steps to treat and manage them properly.
6. Stay away from performance-enhancing drugs: There is often adult complicity in the process of acquiring performance-enhancing drugs and teachers and parents have just as an important role to play as the schools and rugby organisations. It’s just plain cheating, so promote good ethical values and take an interest in what your son is doing. There are serious health risks associated with the use of drugs or banned substances and it is opposed to the very ethos of true rugby which demands hard work, commitment and honesty from its players.
7. Encourage all the players on the field: Remember to encourage all the children at the game, not just yours. Rugby is a team sport so be sportsmanlike and help them all to improve. Screaming insults from the sidelines is not only rude, it is also taking the game far too seriously and makes children anxious about winning.
8. Cool the rivalry and remember rugby is an enjoyable game: Don’t become fanatical about winning – it places immense stress on children and can lead to unnecessary injuries and violence on and off the field. Children can have fun and learn valuable lessons while enjoying the game of rugby but only when winning is not the main focus.
Adds Noakes: “Parents should do the minimum rather than the maximum to support their child in his sport. The chances of their son becoming a professional rugby player are very small. Rather give him the chance to enjoy a carefree school rugby career.''
Playing rugby or any sport as a child is about having a good time, making friends, growing, developing and learning important social skills. As the Coca-Cola Craven Week heats up in Polokwane this July, let’s all play fair, enjoy ourselves and celebrate the spirit of the great game of rugby.
