Between 5 to 10% of rugby injuries are related to the spine and hips, and nearly 5% are neck injuries.

Hookers and forwards are vulnerable to serious neck injuries when a scrum collapses; locks may hurt their necks and backs when their feet are pulled from under them during a jump in a lineout. High tackles can lead to serious neck and spine injuries.

The worst kind of back and neck injuries are those that involve the spinal cord. Depending on where along the spine an injury occurs, the result could be paraplegia (paralysis of the legs), quadruplegia (paralysis of all four limbs), or even death.

Injuries to the neck area include cervical fractures, cervical dislocations, acute strains of the neck and upper back, cervical sprain (whiplash) and cervical disk injuries. If someone suffers a serious neck injury, death or permanent disability could result.

This is evident from the number of rugby players who died or are paralysed after a neck injury.