A player welfare group comprising expert medics, elite players, academics and coaches passionate about protecting rugby’s long-term future 🏉
Joined February 2021
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“Speak your truth quietly and clearly and respectfully, and let people know you are not against rugby, you just want to improve the quality of life for your fellow human beings. That is what this is all about.”
Dr Bennet Omalu to Progressive Rugby - March 2021
Progressive Rugby retweeted
The relationship between contact sports and CTE is a lot like smoking and lung cancer: the more exposure, the greater the risk. In science, that’s called a dose-response relationship.
Recent research found that NFL players with long careers face a 4x higher risk of developing dementia. What makes this finding especially striking is the magnitude of the association compared with other recognized risk factors, including lead exposure and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).
As the science advances, one message is clear: exposure matters. Understanding the long-term risks of repetitive head impacts is critical to protecting athletes at every level.
Article by the excellent @DavidWalshST on player welfare and that match in Perth
thetimes.com/article/23db33c…
We need more of this - the primary responsibility of all referees is player safety.
Excellent referring by Craig Evans at the w/e when insisting on confirmation from medics that Gavin Coombes didn't need a HIA - I thought he did, but Craig did what he could - More refs should do the same @worldrugby @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @dominicrumbles @PremSportsTV
Progressive Rugby retweeted
@WorldRugby @dominicrumbles @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @Scienceofsport Two players played yesterday 2 weeks after reportedly being concussed - I assume previous history would have been considered but it doesn't seem to have resulted in a longer stand-down - Player Welfare?
Desperately, desperately sad news
Former Wallaby Nathan Charles, who defied cystic fibrosis to play international rugby, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
The 37-year-old, who played four Test matches for Australia in 2014, publicly announced his diagnosis during an interview with Stan Sport.
Read more: ab.co/4yrJUTX
Keep up with all the latest sport news and analysis on ABC listen: ab.co/ABCListenApp
ALT Nathan Charles at a Wallabies event.
Terrifying that according to the Times Furbank is expected back next week - he was knocked out cold last weekend and has a significant history of concussions / traumatic brain injuries. He should be stood down for a significant length of time and definitely longer than 13 days.
Scrum caps and head gear do not protect against concussion. There is no product currently available which does.
We really hope @WorldRugby is reporting these misleading advertisements; we certainly are.
Scrum Caps / Rugby Headguards don't protect against concussion but they are sold as if they do - Does @WorldRugby care enough to do something about it? @dominicrumbles @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change 🧵1/2
Terrifying history of brain injuries. He should be stood down for a decent length of time, even once he is symptom free. The possible long term consequences of not doing so don’t bear thinking about.
Top player and a v tough guy - long history of taking head contact - the way he plays I guess - yes, should be given whatever time it takes - hope he's ok - the attached compiled with AI assistance @SaintsRugby @WorldRugby @EnglandRugby
Progressive Rugby retweeted
@WorldRugby @worldrugbymedia @dominicrumbles
@ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @GILBERT_RUGBY
I thought asking whether Junior Headguards not explicitly listed on the World Rugby register were tested could be easily answered - e.g. Based on the register and the Gilbert site - Yes/No?
Maximum safety is a very big claim to make - we’d like to see the supporting evidence please @Rhino_Sport
This quoted post is unavailable.
We would argue that shoehorning more matches into an already packed calendar isn’t putting player welfare at the heart of everything unless the powers that be also protect as sacrosanct proper sabbaticals and rest periods for players.
@WorldRugby should hang their collective heads in shame for stating this at the end of the powerful & emotional Ryan Jones documentary on BBC
Just stop lying & #Bepartofthesolution
Overhauling the HIA process and really going the extra mile to protect players would put that claim beyond reproach, as would properly supporting those who are now living with lifelong conditions and illnesses.
We don’t doubt the intentions of @WorldRugby - we all love the sport and want it to flourish; none of us are naive enough to think that that can happen without financing. But we genuinely believe that there are many relatively simple actions which would make a world of difference
He’s completely right. In a time when more and more is being asked of players, when the numbers of minutes played at professional level is higher than it has ever been, it is vital that players get proper rest to allow both their bodies and their brains to recover.
Maro Itoje: Sabbaticals like mine could prolong England careers
✍️ @willgkelleher
thetimes.com/sport/rugby-uni…